“ Some friends said : ‘ Man if these are your mistakes , you need to start selling whatever you ’ re keeping , because this stuff is lovely … it ’ s sublime .”
The vape industry is full of humble beginnings and rising stars , but there ’ s no story quite like that of Don Thompson , Founder and CEO of The Zen Vaper . Don ’ s curiosity for vaping came after a chance encounter on a college campus . An aspiring audio engineer at the time , he was struck by a cloud of strawberry-scented e-liquid . A friend educated him about vaping and Don quickly realised it could help his then partner quit smoking . To support her , Don also took up vaping , buying himself a device and starting his ‘ quest ’ to find the ultimate Strawberry Cream juice . It was here that Don noticed the lack of quality e-liquids on the market so he set out to make his own and this led to the creation of The Zen Vaper . As Don began the long and time-consuming process of perfecting the exact flavours an endless ritual of repeated cycles of ‘ vaping and tasting ’ began . “ Some friends said : ‘ Man if these things that you ’ re giving us are your mistakes , you need to start selling whatever you ’ re keeping , because this stuff is lovely … it ’ s sublime .” So , at the ‘ gentle insistence ’ of his family , Don founded The Zen Vaper in July 2016 – just eight days before FDA regulations hit . Despite the onslaught of policies and paperwork , Don remained steadfast in his newfound mission to help smokers kick their cigarette habit . He had previously lost both his parents to smokingrelated lung cancer , with his mother tragically passing away just three months before the birth of her youngest grandson . After that it became a personal vendetta for Don , to honour his parents . “ I had this idea that I wanted to be there for a person the day they actually decided to quit ,” he said . “ That ’ s the kind of thing that wakes me up in the morning , the kind of thing that makes 14- hour days okay .” Don ’ s role in the vaping industry extends far beyond selling e-liquid . He contributes heavily to tobacco harm reduction groups and visits local policymakers to educate them on the benefits of e-cigarettes and steer them away from misleading , anti-vape propaganda . “ I literally almost went out of business twice because the media started to vilify vaping … which is akin to vilifying the needle for a heroin addiction ,” he said . “ I understand that this kind of thing is going on all over the country , but we ’ re not in a reactive mode , we should all be in an educational mode .” Unfortunately , The Zen Vaper was not immune to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic , with the brand struggling its way through national lockdowns and widespread store closures . He said : “ I saw myself digging into my cash reserves and thinking : “ Okay , what do I sell next in order to pay the bills ? “ But I decided , almost out of stubbornness : “ No , I ’ m passionate about this , I ’ m not in this to simply make money , I ’ m in it to help people quit and live better lives .” Eventually , the industry began to ‘ find its footing ’ again and despite the pitfalls of 2020 , The Zen Vaper successfully launched in Canada and , once they pass the TPD process , the UK and EU markets are next . While Don realises that the continued growth of The Zen Vaper leads to positive change for smokers , he also maintains that he wants to stick to his roots and stay small enough that he still wakes up every day eager to get to work . “ It ’ s not necessarily about having a lot of employees and becoming a corporation . It ’ s about being able to connect with people , whether they are shop owners , sales staff , or just regular retail customers ,” he said . “ I live a simple life ; I don ’ t have a lot of stuff . My car is 10 years old , I have very basic furniture , I don ’ t live a lavish lifestyle , but that ’ s my choice . For me , it ’ s to live simply and live honestly .”
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