Ejuice Magazine: Can you introduce yourself and give us a little bit of your background?
Blake Stanley: My name is Blake Stanley, and I am President of Alt Zero. I started in the vape industry around 10 years ago, working for another company that has since left the industry.
Ejuice: What was the inspiration for your company name, Alt Zero?
Blake: The company name, Alt Zero, grew from the concept that “There is no better Alternative to combustible tobacco and nicotine reduction than Vaping”…..hence, Alt Zero.
Ejuice: How did you initially become aware of vaping and what made you want to get into this industry?
Blake: All of the Founders of Alt Zero are former smokers. I was introduced to vaping by a friend, and haven’t smoked since. I was very interested in the technology and the formulation of e-liquid that was satisfying and removed any desire to return to combustibles. That was the main driving force for us to form our own E-Liquid Company.
Ejuice: What was the inspiration behind the Excision line?
Blake: Excision, the DJ, is a friend, along with his management team. We originally played off his music and graphics. This was our first line of juice, and it still has a tremendous following among vapers. Ultimately, it comes down to the flavors and the consistent quality of our products that have retained our customers, and bring new users every day. It has been a very successful line for us.
Ejuice: Where do you get the inspiration for your flavors? Do you have a favorite flavor (from either the salt-nic or e-liquid)?
Blake: Each flavor we develop goes through a rigorous process of formulation, testing with focus groups, reformulation, and final testing until we reach a final product that is both popular, and consistent. Our first product, Paradox, is a grape flavored e-liquid that has remained our best selling flavor since the beginning. Since then, we have added Paradox on the Rocks and Paradox Salt. It’s one of the best grape flavors on the Market.
Ejuice: How are you dealing with the latest government compliance such as the PACT ACT?
Blake: First of all, we are committed to this business. We feel strongly that we are changing people’s lives every day by helping them quit smoking. Having said that, with the PMTA and PACT ACT, we have made significant investments in our business to remain compliant with the current regulations, and will continue to do so until our regulatory agencies come to the realization that vaping is significantly safer that using combustible tobacco. The challenges that our industry continues to face is the prevention of our youth obtaining these products. We have strict guidelines we use with our distributors and retailers to help prevent this from happening. Unfortunately, there have been players in this industry in the past that seized on the opportunity to market to kids, casting all e-liquid and vaping companies to be cast in the same light.
Ejuice: Is there a message you would like to send to all of your customers?
Blake: The message we would like our customers to know is that the driving forces behind Alt Zero are quality and safety. All our products are created in our Certified ISO 7 Clean Room, using the highest quality ingredients, sourced in the United States. Our state of the art filamatic equipment ensures that every bottle of our eliquid is consistent in flavor and quality from bottle to bottle. We pride ourselves on our Customer Service and putting the end user first. It costs more in investment and time, but our customers deserve nothing less.
Ejuice: Are there any new releases coming up for Alt Zero?
Blake: We have several outstanding products and flavors that we have developed and are excited to release them. However, with all the regulatory challenges that our industry is facing, we are putting all our resources into remaining compliant with our current lineup. Once we move past these hurdles, you will see several new products entering the market. It’s just hard to put a time on their release right now.
Ejuice: Are there any other products or lines that Alt Zero has introduced?
Blake: I think we have covered everything for right now. I would like to say that we have a sister company, Royal Earth, that has developed and is now marketing a tremendous amount of CBD products. Products for you, and products for the pet market are available now. Improving health is one of our main missions for our customers!
Ejuice: Is there anything else you would like to share with me?
Blake: Just that we at Alt Zero are totally committed to this industry. We are proud of what we do, and will continue to give the smoking public a much safer alternative to tobacco. We feel we are saving lives, one Vaper at a time.
