Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Davis.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kevin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In early 2012, my wife and I experimented with vaping as a method of quitting smoking. It worked for us, but at this point there were no vape stores locally. We had to either purchase online and wait, or drive across Alligator Alley to find a vape shop where we could look at equipment. There wasn’t a lot of information available at the time about ingredients in e-liquid and we had concerns with diketones that were reported in some liquids. This caused us to reach out to liquid vendors about this topic and found that very few had the same concerns that we did regarding health and safety. The uncertainty drove me to research DIY. Using my past experience as a sous-chef, I was able to develop interesting recipes using high quality ingredients.
My wife and my friends tried my flavors and gave feedback during the development stage of my recipes. They urged me to make them available for sale. I opened an online store and was soon busy with local pickups to the point that it made sense to start a small retail store.
In 2012, BocaVapes opened its doors as the first brick and mortar store in Palm Beach County. I was working 16 hours a day to keep up with e-liquid demand as well as working the retail counter alone. After six months of this, I realized that to keep the shelves stocked I was going to need to hire a team.
BocaVapes has exploded since and has expanded into larger space with multiple companies to handle the liquid production, wholesale and online sales. Our second store opened in Port St. Lucie a couple of years back and we’ve seen growth in every segment. One of the things that still drives me today is the satisfaction that I get from seeing smokers successfully quit the same way my wife and I did. Equally, it is the sous-chef inside of me that gets satisfaction in knowing that many people consider my recipes their all day vape.
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest challenge we have been faced with is regulatory. There are multiple political and economic influences to contend with. Each pack of cigarettes sold in the state brings an income to the government, which is decreased with the loss of each smoker. Vaping is seen as an antagonist to the state causing them to lose taxes and settlement money from what is known as the Tobacco Settlement Fund.
Our industry is not only considered competition to the tobacco companies, but also the pharmaceutical companies that make products such as the patch and nicotine gum. The Federal government, through the FDA/CTP, is presently trying to regulate the industry to an extent that will, with present regulations, remove all but the tobacco companies from the market. Their requirement of a Pre-Market Tobacco Application (PMTA) uses the same standards as applying for a new drug on the market for each product. Only companies that can spend millions per application will be able to survive, thus, tobacco companies.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with BocaVapes – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Our pride is in customer service.
When I started it was about the craft of flavoring; designing recipes that pleased friends, customers and myself. It was satisfying to have a flavor ‘popular’.
In time though there was a lot more to it. Training customers to use equipment properly. Resolving conflicts between their vaping style and their equipment. Repairing dropped or abused equipment.
When I brought on a team to help me I trained them the same way. We didn’t need to up-sell customers or shame them into the newest trend. The staple of my business was consumables, the liquid. If we take care of their problems and needs they’ll be back.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Boca Raton, and Delray Beach each have unique cultures. Rare to find in Florida. You have to look. It doesn’t take much to find our little centers and enjoy some of the lifestyle.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4818 NW 2nd Ave.
- Website: www.bocavapes.com
- Phone: 5612410322
- Email: support@bocavapes.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bocavapes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/BocaVapes-166915126765807
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