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How have you managed to build such a
successful e-juice brand?
My main focus was always making sure that I had a top-quality
product. With that, my goal was to be a household name. I knew that
I would achieve that by selling premium products. The difference
between my company and most is that I am the founder and the lead
mixologist on every single flavour that Premium Labs has released
since day one.
In my opinion, most e-juice companies exist for capital gain whereas
I feel that my products are created with the best intentions. It seems
that a lot of juice out there in the current market comes from a select
few labs. Every single bottle of my juice comes directly from my lab
and runs through a rigorous quality test before it goes to market.
How has the industry changed since you started?
A lot has changed. Since the increase in competition, a lot of the
original companies have disappeared from the market. This is due to
a variety of new products plus some well-executed marketing
strategies. I have noticed that a lot more smaller companies do not
break through beyond their surrounding areas. I think it is a lot more
difficult for companies to acquire an international status. Nic salts
and pod systems have made quite an impact but you adapt and
evolve, or you will not make it. I have also seen an increase in
companies with poor-quality juices trying to make a quick buck
which just causes static for companies that are established and
make a good product.
How has working in the industry changed your life?
It has given me some grey hairs, that is for sure! I have learned a lot
as an entrepreneur and as I still continue to learn. My end goal is to
eventually give back and make the world a better place.
Would you ever make juice for other companies?
I have not only considered it, but I have been asked many times. I
have also been reached out to multiple times by other labs asking
me to help them perfect their recipes. The truth is, Premium Labs is
just too busy and I cannot afford to commit any of my time to helping
other companies. Maybe it is something to consider for the future,
although I have never worked with a scientist before!
How does it feel to be the most award-winning e-juice
manufacturer in the United Kingdom?
It’s important to me that every flavour has what I would call, ‘the full
story,’ which hits every angle of your palate. Being the most
award-winning e-juice manufacturer in the United Kingdom
demonstrates my philosophy of creating top quality products that
people love. I started my business to help myself and others quit
smoking and that was not obtainable with the products available on
the market six years ago.
It is a surreal feeling. I never thought in a million years that I would
be this naturally talented at creating these amazing concoctions.
Picasso did not take painting lessons…LOL!
What’s new with Premium Labs in 2020?
First off, we have managed to secure a new master distribution with
Tony Stuart at Vaping 101. Tony is a fantastic character who knows
what good juice is. We have no doubt that Tony will be able to propel
our company to the next level in the United Kingdom.
Tony started off with our juice years ago as a huge supporter of
everything we do. And like any other distributor that we work with
who is really behind our product, he has excelled his own business at
an astronomical speed of growth. Tony runs one of the UK’s top
websites and also owns the UK’s largest vape shop.
I’m sure you’ll agree if you watch his ‘Vaping 101’ video on the
Vaping 101 Aberdeen YouTube channel. There is no other like it!
Vaping 101 hopes to do something with the shop in 2020 and bring
in the Dr Fog touch. If other distributors had Tony’s work ethic and
drive and had seen the golden ticket with our juice, they would be
in the same prosperous situation. How can you fail with the most
award-winning product that is made entirely with passion and
perfection?
What challenges have you faced over the past six years?
First off, I would like to take my hat off to my team who stuck with
me through thick and thin. It has been hard to find an executive
team that constantly helps me get to the next level. It was a real
stress to develop and grow the company on an international level
on my own over the first five years. But over the past 12 months
this team has really helped relieve some of the pressure and put
the company in a great position to continue to grow and meet the
demand with a little more ease.
The stress that comes along with building a successfully
international company single-handedly in five years – most
people don’t believe it!
How have you weathered the coronavirus storm?
Thankfully, here in Vancouver, we were not impacted as much as
other parts of the world. We were able to keep all our staff
employed and our operations going. We also started helping the
Canadian community by manufacturing and donating hand
sanitisers to those who needed it. We have also expanded the
operations to offer branded hand sanitisers to local businesses in
Canada for their employees.
What advice would you give to vape businesses as the world
starts to open up again?
To the ones that were affected negatively, keep your heads up.
Things will pick back up and you can get back to helping people
get off cigarettes.
What can we expect from
Premium Labs next?
There is so much going on. It
has been crazy busy these past
few months. We are expanding
manufacturing in the
Middle East to make
it more accessible
to our customer
base there,
along with a
few other
ventures that
will be
announced
shortly. For
now, we are
releasing our
Top 15 salt
nics to the UK
market. We have
decided to use five
Decoded flavours, five
Dr Fog flavours and a
blend of five different
menthol-infused
(with fruit) flavours.
It was a tough decision
to just introduce 15 flavours but we chose which ones that we felt
would be the best fit to get going in the UK market.
Anything else you would like to add?
I, Sammy Fog and everyone at Premium Labs would just like
to thank all our customers worldwide.We would not be in the
position we are in today without you and we look forward to
creating more amazing juices for all of you in the future so we can
continue to help people quit smoking.
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