Cory Travalena Speaks With Dori Odosso
SPINFUEL: Welcome to the pages of Spinfuel. We’ve been looking forward to talking to you. Would you like to introduce yourselves to our readers?
Cory: My name is Cory Travalena.
SPINFUEL: What position(s) do you hold in the company?
Cory: I am the owner and creator of Juice Parlour.
SPINFUEL: That’s great, you must be very proud. But, getting down to business then, who or what inspired you to get into the e-juice business, and when was that?
Cory: I came up with the concept and idea for Juice Parlour back in May of 2014. I fell in love with vaping after being a smoker for over 20 years and was constantly looking for a brand that I could vape everyday, all day. I noticed that most if not all the juices on the market were very similar and I really wanted something that not only tasted great but was unique and offered people something more than just a great flavor. I wanted to offer an experience.
SPINFUEL: We think you succeeded nicely. Where are you located by the way, and what’s the local and state level situation there with respect to electronic cigarettes? What’s the “attitude” of the people there about eCigarettes?
Cory: We are located in Ventura, CA. The city of Ventura is very accepting of vaping and many of its residents enjoy eCigarettes.
SPINFUEL: When you launched your company how did you decide on your first flavor or “set” of flavors?
Cory: When I decided to go with the theme of an old soda parlour, picking the flavors was really an easy process. We wanted to offer classic soda shop flavors.
SPINFUEL: There is a lot of concern these days about how and where eLiquids are being made. Could you describe your ‘mixing’ area? Where do you do your mixing, bottling, and shipping?
Cory: We have a clean room in Ventura. We are very meticulous in the way that we make and bottle our product. Everything that we do is measured against a set of standards. We say that we offer a quality, hand crafted product, and that is exactly what our customers will get. We make the juice, bottle, label, seal and ship our product from our location in Ventura, CA.
SPINFUEL: What is your suggested, or “house blend” for PG/VG ratio for your eJuice?
Cory: Our ratio is 70vg/30pg
SPINFUEL: Nice! With high VG liquids how do you make sure that your flavors are always consistent, that each batch or bottle delivers the same flavor time after time?
Cory: Our head Mixologist, Ryan Wilson is one of the best in the business. He makes every single batch of juice that goes out to the customer by hand. Currently we do not have any machines in our production process. We do this to make sure that every bottle is hand crafted and stays consistent.
SPINFUEL: Since you were a smoker for 20 years, how long did it take to completely leave analogs behind?
Cory: For me, moving over to a vape lifestyle was easy. I started vaping and haven’t touched a cigarette since. It has been close to 2 years now.
SPINFUEL: How often do you vape?
Cory: I vape pretty much all day long. That is the beautiful thing about vaping. You can vape and not get sick of it. For me, vaping while I work is something that brings me peace.
SPINFUEL: Yes, it certainly does for me as well. Do you have a “favorite” flavor? What is your favorite category of eLiquids for your personal vaping?
Cory: I have two favorite juices that I vape. I am a huge Soda Jerk fan, and not because it is one of my own juices, but because it goes great with everything and I can vape it all day- every day. My second favorite juice is Key Lime Cookie from Ripe Vapes.
SPINFUEL: Cool! Our original team reviewed Ripe Vapes last year. What makes a good eLiquid? In other words, what order of importance are flavor, vapor, and throat hit in your e-Liquids?
Cory: I’m not a huge fan of a throat hit. Personally, I think what makes a great eLiquid is being able to use it day after day and not get sick of it. Flavor plays a huge role in that. If the juice is too sweet or the throat hit is too harsh, a customer may never buy that bottle again. It needs to be clean, smooth, have great flavor, and offer the customer an experience that makes them remember your product and want to use it everyday.
SPINFUEL: Why should our readers buy their e-juice from you?
Cory: Juice Parlour is more than just an eLiquid, it is an experience. We strive to give our customers a product that will bring back memories. Our juice is something that is unique and different then any other eliquid on the market. Our juice is premium and literally hand crafted from the very start.
SPINFUEL: Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers while you have their complete attention?
Cory: This industry has changed my life. There has never been a time our society has been given an opportunity of create something that will stop the devastating effects that cigarettes have caused. We all need to come together and voice our opinion and tell our stories of what vaping has done for us. Juice Parlour supports SFATA and CASAA to create a world where big tobacco ceases to exist and people can live healthier lives with much better options.
SPINFUEL: That’s something we can all agree on here! I can’t thank you enough for talking with us today. We really enjoyed your eLiquids and we look forward to arranging a “sequel” down the road when you have a few more flavors worked out.
