Jason “Jay” Ashton is building a beverage brand in Tampa.
His new company, Tampa-based Last Rep, produces a hemp-derived Delta-9 THC drink aimed at people who train regularly but still want a way to unwind and stay social.
The company soft-launched the product in December following an initial production run of 14,000 cans. Within weeks, the drink had reached roughly a dozen retail locations across the Tampa area as the founders began introducing the brand through events and sampling.
“I’d like to be in 50 to 100 stores by the end of April,” Ashton says.
If that rollout holds, the company plans to expand distribution across Florida before moving into other states.
From technology to beverage startup
Ashton stepped away from CallPass in 2024 after leading the company for roughly 16 years. The business built GPS tracking devices and software that helped companies monitor vehicles, trailers and heavy machinery while collecting operational data.
After leaving the company, Ashton took time to think about what he wanted to build next.
At roughly the same time, entrepreneur Stephen Samson had just exited AccuHealth, a remote patient monitoring company he founded and scaled in the medical device sector.
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The two began discussing ideas last summer.
Samson, Ashton said, began looking for an alcohol alternative during his exit and kept running into the same problem: drinks that delivered the effect often tasted flat, and drinks that tasted good often leaned on sugar.
The two began asking what a “clean” THC drink would look like if it could live in fitness as much as nightlife.
“We took an idea over a conversation in June and within five months did a 14,000-can run,” Ashton says.
Both founders approached the launch the way they had built previous companies. They identified where their expertise stopped and hired specialists to fill the gaps.
“We hired a Ph.D. to create a formula instead of trying to do it ourselves,” Ashton says.
Building the product
Last Rep produces a carbonated beverage infused with hemp-derived Delta-9 THC. The drink currently comes in two dosage options: 5 milligrams and 10 milligrams.
The first flavor released was lime. Orange is scheduled to follow.
Manufacturing is handled through a co-packing partner that sources ingredients, blends the drink and completes required testing before production runs.
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The THC ingredient itself comes from Virtuosa, a Minnesota supplier that produces nano-emulsified cannabinoids. The technology disperses THC evenly throughout the liquid, which Ashton says produces a more predictable experience than traditional edibles.
“You’re getting a very smooth blend,” Ashton says. “The timing and experience are much more consistent.”
Ashton describes the drink as carbonated but smoother than a typical seltzer, with no THC aftertaste.
Some consumers compare the lime flavor to a lighter Sprite, he says, while others note a Moscow Mule profile from the ginger in the formula.
A Drink built around recovery
Ashton describes Last Rep as a recovery drink designed for people who train regularly but still want a social option that does not involve alcohol.
The beverage includes electrolytes and adaptogens alongside hemp-derived THC. Ashton says the drink contains six calories and no sugar.
“Our drink is a recovery drink, but it’s a social recovery drink as well,” he says.
He frames the positioning as a direct response to what he sees on shelves, where some THC drinks market themselves as alcohol alternatives while still carrying 80 to 100 calories and 30 to 40 grams of sugar.
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That positioning shapes where the product is sold.
The drink sits on shelves in liquor stores and bars alongside other THC beverages, while also showing up in places traditional alcohol brands rarely enter.
Ashton said Last Rep is sold at Lukens, a Tampa liquor store, alongside larger THC beverage brands, and he pointed to The Berg CrossFit as an early fitness account where he believes the product’s clean-ingredient profile has helped it stand out.
Early distribution in Tampa
The initial rollout has been intentionally local.
Last Rep currently appears in about 10 to 12 retail locations across the Tampa area, while online sales have begun to grow as the founders introduce the brand at local events and fitness gatherings.
Ashton said the company is doing events at a steady pace and that weekends are booked, a cadence he views as part of the early go-to-market work.
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The company expects the footprint to expand quickly through the spring as new inventory becomes available.
If the brand reaches its short-term goal of 50 to 100 stores, the next step will be statewide distribution across Florida.
“There’s a lot of opportunity here,” Ashton says.
Regulation remains a daily challenge
The growth of hemp-derived THC beverages has drawn attention from lawmakers across the country, creating a regulatory environment that changes frequently.
Ashton says navigating those rules has become a constant part of running the company.
“It’s nonstop,” he says. “It’s an everyday experience. State by state, federally.”
The current framework for hemp-derived THC stems from the 2018 federal Farm Bill, which allows hemp products containing less than 0.3% THC by weight.
That structure allows companies like Last Rep to ship products across state lines.
A shift toward cannabis-based regulation would require manufacturers to build production inside each state where they want to sell.
Marketing can be equally complicated. Ashton says social media platforms frequently remove or restrict posts that directly promote THC products, which forces emerging brands to rely more heavily on in-person events and retail relationships.
He also said the category still faces a basic education gap, with consumers often treating THC as synonymous with “getting high,” a framing he believes slows adoption for people who would otherwise be open to a controlled, lower-dose option.
Building a Florida brand
For now, Ashton says the company’s focus remains close to home.
The founders want Last Rep to establish itself in Tampa first before expanding across the state.
“We want to be the Tampa drink first and foremost,” Ashton says.
He said the company’s first milestone is statewide Florida distribution, with placement in bars, restaurants, gyms and retail accounts across the state before pursuing national expansion.
If the brand can secure broad placement in bars, gyms and retail stores across the region, Ashton believes the rest of Florida will follow.
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