“House of Ho” star to launch THC beverage company

Houston-based entrepreneur Washington Ho, the real estate investor and broker from the HBO Max reality show “House of Ho,” has partnered with former mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee, to form a THC beverage company, the Houston Business Journal reported.

The pair, in partnership with Bayou Hemp Co. and 8th Wonder Brewery and Distillery, will launch a Delta-8-infused seltzer with the portmanteau HoBuzz in a few months, the outlet reported.

With the THC market exploding with gummies, cookies and vape pens, some see the cannabis beverage market as the next big thing, with sales expected to reach $2.8 billion by 2025, Houston Business Journal said, citing data from the market research firm Grand View Research.

Delta-8 THC is a cannabinoid derived from hemp and provides a milder effect than the Schedule I narcotic chemical, Delta-9 THC found in its sister plant. Ho, a recovering alcoholic (season 1 of “House of Ho” was about his sobriety”), told the outlet he drinks THC beverages to help with sleep and anxiety, as well as to keep from “missing out on the fun” at parties. 

“Being sober is very extreme, and so we needed something that would let us have a little fun in life and not something surrounded by alcohol, [but] something healthy, something that would benefit our lifestyle, something that would benefit our work-life balance, and we found that through HoBuzz,” Ho told the Houston Business Journal.

The beverage will come in two flavors — hibiscus and black cherry — and will cost between $7 and $12 per 12-ounce can (with 5 milligrams of THC in each can), with a case going for about $80.

Ho says he will talk about his new venture during filming of the third season of “House of Ho” — a reality show that follows the Vietnamese-American Ho family who made their fortune in real estate and banking — in the Hamptons this summer, according to the outlet. 

Not everyone, however, is a fan of HoBuzz and its ilk. Texas Sen. Charles Perry has introduced a bill before the state legislature that, if passed, would outlaw Delta-8 and, therefore, HoBuzz and other THC products.

Even if the bill passes, which some experts say is unlikely, Ho says he won’t be deterred from bringing HoBuzz elsewhere.

“There [are] other states where it’s legal,” he told the Houston Business Journal. “Tony and I, we’ve gotten to where we are because we take huge risks. And fortunately, I have a partner that’s a lawyer [who] understands legal language, and I really like that. And I can focus on what I do best, which is marketing and sales, and that’s what I’m focused on right now.”

Last, Ho, Houston real estate and banking scion, went national by joining eXp Realty.

“The attraction of eXp is that they’re national, and they have a great technology platform,” Ho said in October. “I also like that they work with celebrities and sports figures in L.A. and New York and I plan to use my presence as a public figure to help with that part of the business.”

— Ted Glanzer