Starting out 

Kevin Waltermire reached out to CODO in early 2025 to discuss a new THC-infused non-alcoholic beer brand called “Intermission.” 

He was aiming to solve the problem we opened this issue with: Busy, driven folks who, no matter how much they want to, can’t drink beer all the time. He wanted a way to take a break from drinking.

Non-alcoholic beers are great, but Kevin was on the hunt for something that would still give him an inkling of a buzz, but crucially, with absolutely zero hangover. 

Thus, Intermission. 

We’ll dive into the product specifics, as well as Kevin’s background in a bit, but his core idea was simple: How can we create an NA beer that gives you a healthy buzz (thanks to a mixture of Lion’s Mane, THC and CBD).

The positioning challenge, however, was less clear: How do we position this brand so that it doesn’t come across as preachy, or holier than thou, or worse, anti-alcohol?

Early stages, hurdles and pivots 

After our early calls with Kevin, we determined the Intermission name wasn’t available to trademark. So our first order of business was to develop a new name. 

Here’s a full blown look at CODO’s naming process if you’re curious how we approach this.

Here are a few big ideas and key messaging pillars we explored through this process:

– This brand offers a “mindful pause” between phases of drinking alcohol. 

– This should evoke a sense of independence and a feeling of investing in yourself. 

– It is empowering, not preachy. Supportive, not prescriptive. 

– We wanted to highlight the functional aspect of this blend without going full bore into functional territory. That is, we’re not selling hard claims or flashy milligram counts, but the broader idea of mindful moderation. Health conscious folks will certainly enjoy this, but it’s targeted more at people who currently drink alcohol and just want to pump the brakes a bit. 

– And finally, we wanted to steer clear of direct weed references. 

A quick note on this final point: This is something we’ve discussed a lot around the shop at CODO. The default move (or at least, a very common one) in the cannabis segment is to use a pun or some sort of weed reference for your product name (Dad Grass, Tea Pot, Easy Man, High Five…). 

There’s nothing wrong with this at all, and I can even steel man the argument that this is a smart way to get consumers to clearly understand what a brand is and meet them where they are. 

But I think that over time, as casual cannabis use becomes more ingrained in every day life (and less new and novel), this may not be very future proofed. Consider a younger consumer today who has grown up in a world where there was no stigma around cannabis — no D.A.R.E. program, no Scruff McGruff, nothing — may not understand these sorts of tongue in cheek references. 

Anyway, we were delighted to find that Kevin felt this same way. So long story short: We needed to steer clear of anything that reeks of weed culture. 

When it came to defining the actual “buckets” — big themes that guided our name development — we focused heavily on the idea of pauses and moments, rhythm and tempo, balance and moderation. We also shared a handful of fun wildcards — options that are tangentially related, but still worth considering.

Some of our favorite options that came up in this initial round were:

– Toggle
– Comma
– Hyphen
– Margin
– Cadence 
– Divvy
– Span 

Kevin was drawn to a handful of these, but Comma quickly won out. Here’s a snippet from our initial presentation:

Comma: A pause. Slightly literary without being elitist. Lends itself to a killer icon on can (a 5” tall comma that you can see from across the aisle).

After the attorneys did their thing (knockout search, registration, etc.) we were cleared hot to begin art direction en route to initial concept development.

Initial concept Development 

Nailing Comma’s identity down was a fun challenge. We needed to accomplish a few things in order to pull this off:

– Read as a craft beer, but still stand apart from the category.

– Embrace minimalism without being sterile.

– Leave room for copy to bring the story and value props to life.

– Sell the story and create an occasion — what is a Comma, and what role does this play in your life? 

—

(Below)

Direction 1 had a nice, category agnostic look and feel. It featured a “big ass comma” (technical language here) and a contemporary slant element.

Direction 2 was the most on-the-nose beer look and feel with a nice, retro-inspired script and bifurcated layout. 

Direction 3 featured another big comma. But in this version, we were trying to get it to do double duty as a speech bubble. We were thinking this could be a fun way to activate the identity across social later on. But after sharing with Kevin’s team, we all quickly determined that this distracted from the core concept. (You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Or something along those lines.)

Ultimately, Kevin wanted to move forward with an almost perfect blend of directions 1 and 2. He liked the category-agnostic approach combined with a more direct beer-y script. Plus, that big comma delivered on the shelf impact he was envisioning without the visual clutter of trying to make this element do double duty.

We shared three initial concepts. Here are a few big ideas we wrestled with at this stage:

How big can we make the comma?

Having a huge comma on the can was one of the things that sold Kevin on this name. But this element needs to live alongside several other components (the name, clearly defining what the product is, some positioning and messaging language plus all the requisite label compliance stuff). 

If this product was just a beer, this would be more straight forward. But we needed to clearly indicate that this is a non-alcoholic “brew” (*not* “beer”) that contains THC, along with a handful of other functional ingredients. 

Another wrinkle here is that it’s not common to see the word “comma” spelled out. So while this is a super common word, most people might not be immediately familiar with it.

Is Comma a beer brand or a THC brand or a beverage brand, or…

This was more of a Brand Architecture question, but Kevin envisions several follow on extensions across different segments, so, a Comma tequila and a Comma wine, etc. 

So while we need to nail this first product (and make sure the overall concept and business is viable), we also need to future proof this brand.

Our recommendation here was that we needed to clarify this positioning as it exists today for both consumers and retailers (as well as wholesalers). This meant we needed to lean into Comma Brewing Co. at this stage for the corporate name, BUT, simply call it Comma where possible so we can keep clutter to a minimum. 

We planned to bake these different logo builds into the Modular Brand Identity System later on.

How do we communicate the non-alcoholic-with-a-buzz value prop?
(And how can we encourage a pause from alcohol without demonizing it?) 

This was a central challenge of this project. 

It was important to Kevin that we not demonize alcohol. Or folks who drink it. Kevin himself still enjoys beer, but the full flavor you get from Comma, and the agency it grants you when you can take a step back from alcohol, is an important value prop. 

Our first stab at a tagline — “No Booze. All buzz.” — was close, but felt like it was focusing too heavily on the buzz itself, vs. the healthy benefits and self control this gives you. In this case, “all” was sticking out and felt a bit much. 

But then, a “Better” buzz might cast alcohol in a negative light. And a “Healthy” buzz seemed like spurious territory (even though this isn’t an alcoholic product, we need to be careful about making specific health claims.)

Kevin came into this project with the possible tagline “Enjoy your pause.” This ended up striking just the right note: It’s empowering. And friendly. And non-judgmental. And it reinforces the idea of a Comma as a purposeful pause from drinking.

The shift from “No Booze. All buzz.” to “Enjoy your pause.” was crucial — it moved us away from defining the product by what it’s not (no booze) or overselling what it does (give you a nice buzz) to focusing on the emotional benefit and permission it gives you.

In a growing sea of cannabis beverages, this is an important value prop and positioning angle.

How much can we highlight the nootropics without wading into esoteric / snake oil territory?

We glossed over this in the intro, but to focus on it now, Comma is a phenomenal product. 

Kevin is super connected in the cannabis and mushroom space — he’s a serial entrepreneur who has even appeared on Shark Tank. I say that to say that this beverage, and everything that goes into it, is top shelf and chemically formulated to enhance each other. 

Kevin spent more than a year dialing in this specific formulation before he reached out to CODO for branding and positioning. 

This differs from a lot of other products we found in our competitive set audit that seem to just throw a bunch of stuff in a can so they can list it on the label. Those generally get vaguely billed as “nootropics” or “adaptogens” without diving into specifics. And it comes across as more of an SEO exercise than the clinical, chemistry-forward / mad scientist approach you should take when building a functional beverage brand. 

Anyway, Kevin’s team felt that a super low dose of THC and CBD — 2.5mg of each — specifically heightens the 250mg of Lion’s Mane mushrooms to give you a lovely, mild buzz. They complement each other in a wonderful way. 

Kevin wanted to call this particular blend the “Comma Stack.” This borrows language from microdosing enthusiasts and the supplement industry to lend a nice functional angle to the beverage without being too on the nose. 

Wrapping up

I love Comma’s hook. Kevin’s identified a genuine need that hits on several intersecting trend lines, including:

– Drinking in moderation 

– Drinking across category 

– Offering full, unapologetic flavor 

– Offering functional ingredients 

– Offering mindful consumption 

– Plus, a mature lifestyle play that speaks to a slightly older, seasoned audience (Not everything has to revolve around shiny new LDA folks.)

But beyond that, here are a few broader takeaways from this project:

Remember what you’re selling

What unique problem is someone solving when they purchase your product? 

Comma isn’t selling THC or Lion’s Mane or even a healthier buzz. It’s selling agency — the ability to unwind without sacrificing tomorrow morning or tonight’s presence with your family.

Future proof your product and brand as much as possible

Things move fast today — consumer preferences, the legal landscape, ingredient sourcing, tariffs, you name it. The decision to go with Comma Brewing Co. as the corporate name while keeping the consumer-facing brand simply as Comma gives Kevin flexibility to expand into wine, spirits, or whatever comes next without boxing himself into the beer category.

Turn your brand into an occasion, not just a product

Comma isn’t competing with other THC beverages on the shelf. It’s competing with that Tuesday night beer, that glass of wine after a long day, the choice between being fully present or catching a buzz. 

When you can own a specific moment in someone’s routine, you’ve got something much stickier than simple product differentiation.

You need to have a stellar product

I want to end on this note. We’ve worked with hundreds of beverage brands over the last 16 years. And every one of these partners — all of them — have claimed to have a great product.

– We brew the best beer.

– We make the best whiskey. 

– Our canned coffee is cleaner. 

– This hard tea will blow your hair back. 

I’m not arguing or countering any of these claims, but in order to make it in the beverage industry today, you really need to walk this walk. 

There is so much competition — especially in a new segment like THC-infused beverages — that you have one shot (if you’re lucky).

So you need to make it count. 

Kevin spent over a year dialing in the Comma Stack formulation — the specific interaction between low-dose THC, CBD and Lion’s Mane — before he even considered how to bring it to market. That clinical, chemistry-forward approach shows up in the drinking experience. 

Comma’s packaging will spark trial — but the deeper opportunity lies in how the brand itself reframes a moment in people’s lives. You’re not selling a can. You’re selling permission to pause, to be present, to make tomorrow morning count.

That’s where branding can drive behavior change. And in a crowded, fast-evolving category like THC beverages, owning moments like this will matter more than any milligram count or functional ingredient.

And we’re excited to watch Comma claim that space.