Anatomy of a Launch: Golden Hour

Q&A with founder Miles McKirdy.

Friday, March 8, 2024
Time to read: About 9 minutes. 2,002 words.

A subject line about “Aussie inspired cannabis” caught my eye back in December 2023. I know it’s still illegal there, but the culture is strong—the publisher for my travel guide to US cannabis is actually based there. Plus, my dad first met my mom while practicing his best attempt at an Australian accent, so I’ve always felt a connection to the country. (Yes, she fell for it, and yes, he proceeded to fake it for a few weeks before coming clean.)

This email that stuck out in my inbox was from Miles McKirdy, an actual Australian, who’d lived in New York the past decade and was getting ready to launch a cannabis brand. I agreed to check out samples and was impressed by the thoughtfully-designed gummies when the package arrived. The super customized tins are embossed and embellished with details, featuring an illustration of his parents and a little crossword inside. Operating as a hemp company, they can be shipped nationwide, and show QR codes for people to view Certificates of Analysis. 

I was impressed with the care, but I was also skeptical about the presence of substance beneath all the style. Then I learned this wasn’t McKirdy’s first cannabinoid-infused rodeo.

Prior to entering the cannabis/hemp realm, McKirdy worked at Pernod Ricard, the world's second-largest spirits company that includes brands like Jameson and Malibu, but he didn’t have a passion for the product. He struggled marketing something that had such negative effects on society. Cannabis inspired him—McKirdy saw it as David vs. the Goliath of harmful substances. He took what he learned and co-founded Flyers Cocktail Co. in 2021, offering CBD and THC sparkling beverages flavored to mimic popular cocktails. I mentioned them in a drinks roundup for Thrillist, which is what put me on his radar when he set out to launch something of his own in the hemp THC space.

While a bigger launch announcement won’t happen until April, the website is live, orders are flowing, and I was curious how an entrepreneur goes about launching their second hemp DTC brand differently than their first.

In this chat, McKirdy shares how he approached differentiating his brand in the saturated gummy scene and breaks down all aspects of this launch—where he’s focusing attention, what he did differently after learning from Flyers, what he’s putting off until later, and how he’s navigating running a hemp brand amidst simmering backlash.