When it comes to the coolest way to imbibe concentrates, Ooze, a year-old company based in Michigan, has invented with a line of glass globe water bubblers that deliver the smoothest hits for vapors on the go.
“The old way of being able to indulge in concentrates was that you would have to buy expensive glass pieces, and you would need a torch; it’s almost like a process to be able to smoke concentrates,” says Ooze’s Vince Ayar. “With our products, we’ve made it a lot more affordable and discrete for somebody who wants to get into dabbing and smoking wax.”
Having been involved with the “movement” for many years, Ayar and business partners Danny Hannawa, Steve Hannawa and George Sinishtaj knew states legalizing marijuana, especially for medicinal patients, meant an increase in use of concentrates.
“As states go legal they allow caregivers to grow and they get leftover with a lot of trim. That used to just be waste, but now they’re converting it into smokeable product int the form of concentrates,” Ayar points out. “A lot of our first products were vaporizers for concentrate use, and that was a nice, convenient, affordable way to get people to start trying concentrates without having to invest a ton of money in a rig and going through the clumsy process of heating it up with a torch.”
“It’s really cool that (vaping concentrates) has gotten to the point where it has,” Ayar adds, “I only see it getting bigger and bigger.”
Available from Ooze are five different styles of water bubbler kits: Hurricane, Sludge, Stretcher XL, and Weeper and Weeper XL. All feature a hand blown glass water bubbler made with a percolator, and dual quartz titanium splash guard coil designed for optimal airflow while avoiding the mess of excess splatter. The kits also include a 650 mAh battery 3.7 V (lifetime warranty), 5 ml silicone wax container, 6″ stainless steel dabber, and convenient carrying case.
Concentrate vapes are nothing new, and Ayar is the first to admit that Ooze didn’tcompletely reinvent the wheel. What Ooze really did to set themselves apart from the competition was to put their focus on affordability and presentation.
The Ooze team has combined more than 15 years of experience in the vaping industry. Where that is an advantage, is that the have developed relations with reputable manufacturers.
“Because of our extensive sourcing knowledge and experience we go directly to the manufacturers, and in doing so we get rock bottom prices and are able to pass those savings along to the stores and consumers,” Ayar says.
“We’ve had big name manufacturers come to our booth at trade shows, and they’re kind of upset and tell us that we should be selling our products for a lot more,” Ayar remarks. “We just smirk and say, ‘You do what you do, and we’ll do what we do.’”
“I love the fact that the margins are good for everyone,” Ayar adds, “We leave a lot of room for the retailers, so that they will make good money selling our products.”
Packaging is as retailer-friendly as the product itself. Rather than a basic box with a big logo, Ooze showcases their products with actual photos or cut-out windows so that customers can see the actual devices inside.
“When you’re selling online (packaging) is not as important because people are shopping for the product itself,” Ayar says, “but when a product is going to take up shelf space, it needs to be in good looking, attractive packaging.”
It’s not just the packaging itself, but also the merchandising. Coming from the retail world, with 50 years combined experience, the Ooze team understands the importance of eye-catching product displays for their attachments, batteries, and accessories that are effective selling tools yet take up a minimal footprint.
Ooze Weeper XL Water Bubbler Vaporizer Pen
“Our goal is to help the products sell faster and better,” Ayar says. “Sales are going to be ten fold because you’ve got the products in front of the customer’s face rather than behind the counter making it more of an impulse buy type item.”
“Nobody can sell a product better than another individual. We want the person working behind the counter at a smoke shop to be able to recommend our product,” Ayar adds.
Concentrates may be where Ooze got their start, but their ultimate goal is to reach smokers of all preferences. Ooze now offers offer a dry herb vape pen – the Drought, as well as accessories, such as a rolling tray with a built-in grinder, for dry herb smokers. Soon to hit the market is a glass blunt with an innovative inner slider, and a pocket-size lighter incorporating a storage container for a pre-rolled joint.
“When we bring a new product to market we try to make it as unique as possible,” Ayar says. “We don’t want to be known as only a a vaporizer company or a concentrate company – as time progresses we anticipate carrying tons of different products for all different types of smokers.
“When you walk into several smoke shops and you see Ooze on their shelves, it tells the consumer subconsciously that this is a strong brand and company.”
