The Pink Spot Vapors Interview

Pink Spot Vapors, of Las Vegas, Nevada, is the company created by Penn and Sandi Elletson. With 80 flavors currently being offered, and another 80 in various stages of development, they just may be the hardest working couple in the eJuice industry. Spinfuel eCigs Magazine recently asked Penn and Sandi some questions about their company, and about the industry. Read on…

SPIN: Tell our readers why you decided to get into the e-juice business.

PSV:  I was a bartender/mixologist in Las Vegas for over 18 years. (I was named one of the top bartenders in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal in 2009.)  After trying eCigs with bad eJuice, I began making eJuice for myself and a few friends that vaped. I began making flavors that transferred cocktail recipes to vaping flavors and it was a hit. After the demand in my small circle was created, I realized that customer service was lacking (for the most part) in this industry. Because of my background in mixing and customer service, the idea quickly became a reality for me. My goal was to create a top quality product, unique flavor combinations & the best customer service possible.

SPIN: Who inspired you to get into the e-Juice business?

PSV: I think it is a matter of “what” rather than “who”. My first stab with an eCig was a disposable and the tobacco tasted like cat pee. I truly loved the idea of an eCig and wanted it to work for me. At that point, it just was not working. After a lot of research I found the best ingredients I could find and created my own. Although there has been a lot of fine tuning along the way, the rest is history.

SPIN: How many resellers stock your e-juice?

PSV: We have resellers all around the U.S. as well as many other countries. The best news for our industry is the growth. We are contacted everyday with people that are asking for product for new eCig stores. Other industries are seeing the growth of the industry as well. We sell to liquor stores and convenience stores as well. That really bodes well for the industry as a whole.

SPIN: Why is American Made e-Juice so important today?

PSV: I am not sure about the “American Made” label. There are companies that order the ingredients from China and bottle it here in the states and call it “American Made” There are no regulatory sanctions in the U.S. for eJuice. I believe in self regulating. I have pictures and video posted of our mixing/distribution facility. I know there are several U.S. companies that do as well. I also think that if every U.S. vendor had to show where and how their product was being made, most would not get much business in the future. I think it is very important that customers research the company that they order from. Many vendors do not want the FDA to regulate our industry. For me, it can not come soon enough. I use an entire food grade facility. Even if I have to make some slight changes, it will legitimize the industry and will become more accepted.

SPIN:  How did you manage to make such great flavors?

PSV: As I mentioned earlier, I was a mixologist in Las Vegas for many years. (As was my wife Sandi) I think that background has helped us create some very unique flavors. There has been a lot of trial and error as well. Taste is subjective, but we just try to create flavors that we love first. Everyone may not like every flavor we offer but our goal is to make them accurate. For example, you may not love our Dutch Apple Pie, but I can assure you… It tastes like Dutch Apple Pie!

SPIN: How long does it take you to go from an idea to the final product?

PSV:  The timeline varies. The development of the recipe can take a few tries or a few hundred tries. Lol. Once we develop the recipe there are several steps of testing that we take. We have employees and customers (guinea pigs) that vape it throughout the steeping process to ensure consistency. We have a chemist contracted that will test the final product before we release it.

SPIN: Can you tell us a little about yourselves?

PSV: I have been in Las Vegas for over 20 years. I have been married to my wife and business partner for almost 8 years. As mentioned before we were in the service industry here in Las Vegas. We have never been happier being involved in this industry. It truly is a community. People in this industry really do try to help each other and inform each other about the benefits of eCigs. We have had so much positive feedback from people saying that we helped save their life. It is a blessing to do what you love for a living and have so much positive feedback from your customers and friends. The saying is true; you never work a day if you love what you do.

SPIN: Safety is a huge factor today. Tell our readers what kind of measures you take to make sure that your e-juice is safe to consume?

PSV: We use the absolute best quality ingredients in our eJuice. We use Pharma Grade Nicotine, Food Grade Pg/Vg and flavorings. We do not add anything else to our product. It is created, produced and distributed in a food grade facility here in Las Vegas. Everyone that stops by is more than welcome to take a tour of our facility.

SPIN: How important is it to use pharmaceutical grade PG, VG? Do you use distilled water? Are there any “filler liquids” in your juice?

PSV: We do not use any “filler liquids”. As stated above, we use the top ingredients available today. This industry is growing and new products are being introduced all the time. We are very active researching new and possibly better quality ingredients if/when they are being created.

SPIN: Is your flavoring organic? Are they also “American Made”?

PSV: We do not currently offer an “organic” line of eJuice. We are researching the possibility along with other industry leading offerings. The possibilities of what can be created are vast. I think this industry is just scratching the surface. Everything we offer is American Made! We manufacture, bottle and distribute from the U.S.

SPIN: How can you make sure that your flavors are always consistent, that each batch delivers the same flavor and nicotine levels?

PSV: We test each batch that is created. We are very careful that each bottle is consistent. There are factors such as being exposed to heat during delivery or sitting in a mailbox during summer that will taint all eJuice. We do our very best to remake and redeliver those bottles for our customers so they get a top quality product every time.

SPIN: How many flavors do you offer today? Which are your favorites?

PSV: We have over 80 flavors on the website currently. We have many more that are in development. We release new flavors every month. My current favorite is Swagger. My wife Sandi bounces between Pink Spot (our signature blend), Watermelon Wave and Cherry Limeade.

SPIN: Why should our readers buy their e-Juice from you?

PSV: Our eJuice is by no means the cheapest on the market, but I do believe in the saying, you get what you pay for. We only use the top ingredients and take extreme care in making sure that our customers get a consistent, quality product every time. We do things the right way and do not cut corners. It cost more to do business the right way. I believe customers will pay and extra dollar or two for quality product and a piece of mind.

SPIN: Lastly, What are your plans for the rest of 2012 and beyond?

PSV: We feel we are one of the industry leaders in self-regulating our business. We look forward to growing with this industry and continuing to provide new eJuice and products to the community. We would like to see this industry become mainstream and accepted for what it is. This is a life saving industry.  We have had such a great response with our store in Las Vegas we are looking forward to expanding our store fronts to new regions in the U.S.

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