Peek Inside: Good Supply Vapes
Have you ever wondered how vape pens are made and how they get their potent flavours, such as Pineapple Express or Cherry Loops? Join us as we take a peek inside how Good Supply vapes are created in our interview with Miguel Guillemette, Product Developer at Tilray Brands.
What does being a vape product developer entail?
“Working on the Research and Development (R&D) team as a Product Developer for Tilray Brands, my day-to-day varies depending on the products we’re working on at the time. We’re always working on filling our product pipeline with vapes and infused pre-rolls with new, unique flavours, therefore lots of development and testing are always taking place. When we’re not developing and testing, we’re creating new innovative formats or making improvements to our existing products. No two days are the same, making it an exciting environment.”
How did you get started in the cannabis industry?
“After obtaining my Culinary Arts Diploma at Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver (NWCAV), I relocated to Ontario. With five years as an e-juice mixologist, I’m extremely passionate about crafting delicious creations. Tilray initially welcomed me to their R&D team as a chocolatier in anticipation of cannabis legalization 2.0. However, as Tilray’s strategic focus shifted to vapes, my experience led to my swift transition from chocolate to vape flavours. It’s been five years, and I still love what I do every day!”
How are Good Supply vapes made?
“Creating a distillate vape seems like a straightforward process of extracting cannabis and adding flavouring, however the complexity lies in meticulous attention to detail. The journey begins with the cannabis input, using ethanol extraction and refining through distillation to produce a high-potency distillate. Cultivar selection significantly influences potency, so achieving the right balance between potency and flavour is essential. To deliver both, it’s important to start with a high-potency distillate to serve as a blank canvas for flavours, free from cannabis taste. My favourite part is the development of our proprietary flavour blends. After a recent six-month project, we further enhanced flavour strength and potency, and the positive feedback from consumers has been worth it.”
How do you and your team decide on the flavours and cultivars to use for the vapes?
“Creating appealing flavours that resonate with consumers requires a collaborative effort between R&D and Marketing. Our flavour strategy has evolved over time alongside the legal industry and consumer preferences. As one of the first brands in the legal Canadian industry to offer true, fruit flavours, we recognized a demand for products that prioritize delicious taste. We continuously push the envelope on what’s available with new, innovative flavours – playing with different combinations and layers of flavour. We can go through up to 20 variations of the same flavour before landing on the one that tastes the best.”
What makes Good Supply vapes and hardware unique?
“We recently updated our vape hardware to a new cartridge! I worked closely with our procurement team to test and select the vendor and hardware we’d be moving ahead with.
Our first priority was safety – reviewing the raw materials used in production, the quality of materials, and vendor credentials. As a vape consumer myself, I always try to think as an end-user and how I would feel if I bought this product. Our cartridges have glass chambers, stainless steel coils, and ceramic cores (rather than plastic for the safety of our consumers). Second, we ran thorough trials of the hardware with different vape formulas to confirm it would deliver the best experience while minimizing product failures. No one wants to invest in a product and not be able to fully enjoy it. I’m very proud that since we’ve made this transition to the new partner and hardware, our reported error rates have dropped.”
“Additionally, I’m proud that Good Supply has decided to invest in environmentally conscious products and partnerships. The new vape pen cartridges feature a hemp mouthpiece and are packaged in hemp tubes with a bamboo insert to make them more sustainable while diverting waste from landfills. Being able to reduce our plastic consumption by using hemp makes me even more proud to share our products.”
What’s your favourite product to make and why?
“Developing new vape pen flavours will always be at the top of my list because there is no limit to what we can create. I have a soft spot for the Rocket Bomb vape we launched summer 2023 with cherry, lime, and blue raspberry flavours.”
Can you give us a sneak peek into any Good Supply vapes being released soon?
“Come spring 2024, we’re excited to be releasing something new, and it will let you put a unique flavour twist on our iconic vape flavours to take them to a whole new level of value and deliciousness – keep an eye out to see what we mean! We’ve also been experimenting with the next generation of Good Supply vapes that deliver remarkable taste without compromising on high potency, like our upcoming Gooey Gold, which is sweet and caramelized – one of our first vapes that doesn’t include fruit – for a consumer interested in something truly indulgent. We’re beyond excited to see how consumers respond!”
Check out the wide variety of Good Supply vapes in-person at your local BC Cannabis Store, or online at www.bccannabisstores.com.
