NEW WAVE OF FLAVOUR NEW WAVE OF FLAVOUR

Flavour-Tech UK are ready to put their name back on the map, with their latest ‘Wick Addiction’ products, ahead of the Vaper Expo in Birmingham this May.

Words: Oliver Smith

What was the catalyst that founded Flavour-Tech UK and subsequently the ‘Wick Addiction’ brand?

“Flavour-Tech UK was founded in 2016 as a sister company to ‘The Emporium Hull’.

The first of our five retail stores were opened in 2013 by us, the Stephenson family, whose passion for the industry was and still is second to none.

During the build-up to TPD we experienced issues and nonconsistency of flavours and so the idea of manufacturing our own e-liquid was born.

The feedback from customers was excellent, which gave rise to branch out and supply other vape shops with the same flavours under their own white label/OEM and the products were subsequently notified for the new regulations.

‘Wick Addiction’ was a natural progression for Flavour-Tech UK to have its own recognised brand to sell to the wider industry.”

You already have an impressive roster of flavours, are there any plans to expand the ‘Wick Addiction’ line?

“We have recently launched five new ‘Wick Addiction’ ‘All Day Long’ 100mls and 10 new ‘Wick Salts’.

These are slightly sweeter and cooler ‘bar-style’ flavours to help people stuck on disposables transition to a regular device.

As well as this, we’re structuring the release of new ranges and flavours over the next 12 months.

The first of these will be when we return as an exhibitor to Vaper Expo, where we will be launching our ‘All Day Long’ range in 50/50 shortfills.

We will actively be seeking to take ‘Wick Addiction’ to a more global market in the coming year and are excited for what the future holds.”

When developing a new e-liquid, what planning goes into the flavour curation for ‘Wick Addiction’?

“Our mission is to design and manufacture the best quality e-liquid we can with flavours that are exactly ‘what they say on the tin’.

We pride ourselves on keeping our sweetness level low to prolong the life of coils allowing the independent flavours to shine through and not be masked with sweeteners.

However, for those with a sweet tooth, we have an array of nicotine shots to enable customers to customise their flavour to their own taste.

Once a flavour idea has been decided, the basics of those flavours are put together to initially see if they work and enhance each other or fight amongst themselves.

The recipes are made into 50/50 and high VG and are tweaked to suit the finished ratios independently so that flavour delivers on a MTL device, sub-ohm tanks and RTA/ RDA.

It is extremely important for us to test like this as there are many factors within the ratios/devices that will bring out different notes at different wattages.

We like to say vaping should take you on a journey; a beginning, a middle and an end. There has to be delivery on all parts or the vape can feel empty or lacking.”

Following the success of the disposable market, will we be seeing ‘Wick Addiction’ unveil their own line of single use devises?

“We carefully watch the disposable sector and their implications to our industry.

Consumers see them as a convenient alternative to a standard e-cig without fully understanding the nicotine strengths, environmental impact and higher cost involved in using them.

With our new ‘Wick Salts’ range we believe we have truly captured the vaping experience from a disposable that can be enjoyed with a lesser impact on the environment.

As we take this stance, we will not be entering into the single device market as this is not something we support.” Vaper Expo UK is coming up in May, is the Flavour-Tech UK team excited to be a part of this prestigious event?

“Yes, we are excited to be returning to Vaper Expo in May albeit in a very different industry since we last exhibited in 2019.

We love catching up with current stockists and meeting potential new clients alongside showcasing what we can do as a business. Make sure to come and see us!”

What are the biggest challenges you’ve had to face as a company and how did you use your expertise and industry knowledge to overcome them?

“Our biggest challenge has been Covid, however, we used this time wisely and revisited every flavour we have and developed many new flavours and restructured the business.

We were invigorated and excited to get back as a team and to face the challenges within the industry post-lockdowns.

One of the challenges we now face due to not exhibiting since 2019 is making people aware of who we are, what we do and how long we have actually been trading.

A lot of our work is OEM; people are often using our e-liquid but don’t actually know it is us behind the name on the label!”

Which service from your O.E.M are you most proud of?

“We are very proud of the bespoke flavours we create for clients as this is often ‘challenge accepted’.

We can help and advise them from initial concept to the notification process if this is a flavour designed solely for them.

We are also very proud of the in-house label design and marketing/media package we offer.

Our attention to detail, customer service, family values and teamwork are so very important to us.

It’s gratifying for us to produce high quality flavours made for vapers, by vapers.

This is not just a job for any of us, it is our passion based on a foundation of helping people to make the switch to vaping from regular cigarettes.”