I first came into contact with Northern Craft Vapes whilst chatting to a local vaper in his shop.
He asked me "how do you like your ice?" My reply was simple "Icy".
We cleaned my wick and dripped some Trinity on Ice and my first hit was bliss. I couldn't put my finger on the fruits immediately, but it was too good. I vaped that dead rabbit just until it dry hit.
We both loved it.
A couple weeks lated he had another 30ml and was decided we will vape the juice only when we are together.
This became a twice weekly thing. We met up and shared some trinity on ice and just chilled (no pun intended)
This is what I love about vaping, in ordinary circumstances we probably would not be friends, but vaping a juice together created a friendship and found me a golf partner.
So it's my pleasure to be chatting to @Vapington from NCV today!
1. Mike, thanks for taking the time out of your day to have a quick chat to me. Thanks for also being patient.
Us as a community at ecigssa love local juice and getting to know the awesome guys and gals behind our favorite labels.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the crew at NCV?
Likewise Bruce, it is my pleasure.
My name is Mike and I am one of the owners of Northern Craft Vapes - NCV. I am the mixologist at NCV and I also head up the product and graphic design etc - I am the creative element I guess
. Our team (family) consists of Heather - Co-owner, who keeps us in check and runs the financial/admin side of things like a star. Darren is our Operations manager, he is an extremely hard working and passionate member of our NCV family. His roles include packing, dispatch of orders, admin, stock control and he is involved in most of the various aspects of our business. David is co founder of NCV and has just started working with us full time this year - he dropped his career in Law to help in the running of our business. Our team is small but we are an efficient force and I appreciate all of them beyond words.
2. I'm going to jump straight in to an article I thoroughly enjoyed on ecigssa - the one regarding NCV's clean room. Can you tell us a little more about the clean room and why it is so important to have one?
I am glad you liked that post! We are very proud of our cleanroom. We strive to produce the best quality products we can. We feel it necessary for eliquid to be manufactured for commercial use in an extremely sterile and clean facility. Our cleanrooms’ air quality was tested recently and we achieved ISO7 standards. Our slogan is Vape the best, everything we do, we do to the highest standard possible and our manufacturing facility is no exception.
3. Cruising through your website and I came across Burst #reimagined, from what I can gather Burst was one of your first hits at NCV, have you done a revamp on an old favorite? What goes into taking something great and making it better?
The original Burst was actually the first new release after we had launched our original range (Milked, Redrish, StrawBshake and Fruloops). It was definitely a hit and for many vapers was their ADV for a while. We discontinued our original line but are introducing #REIMAGINED versions of them to the market, Burst #REIMAGINED being the first. For the fans of the originals, OneShots are becoming available - again Burst Original is the first OneShot we have introduced to the market.
I wouldn’t say the Reimagined versions are “better”, that is up to the individual at the end of the day, but they are fresh new perspectives on the originals - We certainly intend for them to be quite different to the original but also hold onto certain aspects of the original.
4. While we are talking about Burst, congrats on the launch of Burst one shots. For us newer guys coming into DIY does it come with steeping instructions or is this where we actually Do It Ourselves and experiment with the wonders of waging?
Thank you! OneShots are definitely a fantastic way for DIYers and those who are a bit unsure of trying to come up with their own recipes to experience commercial recipes at a fraction of the cost. We also had a lot of demand for us to bring back some of the discontinued products so this is a great way for us to bring them back. We intend on broadening the SelfMade range and the next one will be available this month (Ripple Original). SelfMade comes in a 30ML chubby gorilla bottle which is super easy to mix with and the box it comes in does have a suggested recipe on the back. When it comes to steeping, of course we always suggest a few days but they are good shake n vapes
5. Personally, when I think of NCV I think of the clever boxes and the way shops use three boxes to make one logo and also Trinity on Ice. Is it a process taking an established recipe and adding ice to it. In my limited experience in the DIY world I find ice can change a whole recipe.
Thank you, product design and the way it impacts the customer is very important to us.
Trinity is our flagship product, we have manufactured millions of millilitres of the stuff so yes it was a daunting idea to fiddle with it. I think it depends on the Ice factor - a potent ice hit can overpower the other flavours so one may have to balance the recipe accordingly. With Trinity Ice I feel we found a nice balance between the coolness and the fruit and it definitely transforms Trinity into something a little different to the original.
6. In July last year you launched Apex. What feelings does one feel when a new juice hits the market, I mean you and a small bunch of testers like it enough to launch it. Do you ever get pre-launch jitters?
Oh yes. Every time It is extremely daunting launching a new product, especially when you really really care what the consumers think about your creation. It is definitely a relief when the first few reviews and comments come out positive We generally keep our new releases very secret right up until launch so not many people have tasted the final product.
7. On the subject of testers and testing..................... Admit you saw this question coming. What gear do you guys roll with?
I only run with 1 RDA and that is a Petri V2 with cloud cap - have been using it for a long time. Mods wise, currently I am using the Therion DNA75C and it does the job well. If it aint broke...
8. Going through your Insta page you seem to rotate your juices, Milked won the 2016 ecigssa Best breakfast juice and it's no longer on your site. How important is it for an established brand to keep current and not rest on your past victories?
As mentioned above we did discontinue our Original line. The vape industry is forever evolving and improving in all aspects and our Original line had been around for a long time (in vape years). We didn’t want to completely get rid of them so #REIMAGINED line was born (still giving birth to it haha). We have to step up our game all the time - we have tough competition but are always ready to compete and better ourselves. Trinity is still going strong though, it has certainly stood the test of time and that is very hard to achieve in such a saturated and competitive industry.
9. When two Juice makers walk into a bar whats the scene like? Do you all generally get along as competitors or is their always going to be a bit of competitiveness.
It’s generally a fight to the death. Haha. No, for the most part juice makers get along and support each other. The vaping community in SA is very tightly knit so we all know each other and interact quite frequently. I am friends with many juice makers and there is a mutual respect for one another for sure!
10. In one sentence, how would you describe your brand?
Vape the best
11. Once again Mike, thanks for making time for this interview, it's always good to learn more about the brands we love.
Can we expect anything new and exciting from NCV? I know you have just released your one shots, but do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?
It has been a pleasure Bruce, thank you for showing an interest in our brand and I hope those of you who read this enjoyed it!
We certainly do have a few tricks up our sleeve. Some are imminent In terms of comps, we run a giveaway on our Facebook page almost every week so those of you who are on Facebook should go check that out!
A message from Mike to all egigssa members
Yes, absolutely. Ecigssa has been a big part of NCVs’ growth and we appreciate all the input and support from its’ members over the years. We will continue to support this forum as it provides all us enthusiasts such a friendly platform to talk and discuss our vaping passion with like minded individuals. Thank you all!
You can find a list of NCV stockists here to calm your craving http://www.ncvapes.co.za/stockist/
He asked me "how do you like your ice?" My reply was simple "Icy".
We cleaned my wick and dripped some Trinity on Ice and my first hit was bliss. I couldn't put my finger on the fruits immediately, but it was too good. I vaped that dead rabbit just until it dry hit.
We both loved it.
A couple weeks lated he had another 30ml and was decided we will vape the juice only when we are together.
This became a twice weekly thing. We met up and shared some trinity on ice and just chilled (no pun intended)
This is what I love about vaping, in ordinary circumstances we probably would not be friends, but vaping a juice together created a friendship and found me a golf partner.
So it's my pleasure to be chatting to @Vapington from NCV today!
1. Mike, thanks for taking the time out of your day to have a quick chat to me. Thanks for also being patient.
Us as a community at ecigssa love local juice and getting to know the awesome guys and gals behind our favorite labels.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the crew at NCV?
Likewise Bruce, it is my pleasure.
My name is Mike and I am one of the owners of Northern Craft Vapes - NCV. I am the mixologist at NCV and I also head up the product and graphic design etc - I am the creative element I guess
. Our team (family) consists of Heather - Co-owner, who keeps us in check and runs the financial/admin side of things like a star. Darren is our Operations manager, he is an extremely hard working and passionate member of our NCV family. His roles include packing, dispatch of orders, admin, stock control and he is involved in most of the various aspects of our business. David is co founder of NCV and has just started working with us full time this year - he dropped his career in Law to help in the running of our business. Our team is small but we are an efficient force and I appreciate all of them beyond words.2. I'm going to jump straight in to an article I thoroughly enjoyed on ecigssa - the one regarding NCV's clean room. Can you tell us a little more about the clean room and why it is so important to have one?
I am glad you liked that post! We are very proud of our cleanroom. We strive to produce the best quality products we can. We feel it necessary for eliquid to be manufactured for commercial use in an extremely sterile and clean facility. Our cleanrooms’ air quality was tested recently and we achieved ISO7 standards. Our slogan is Vape the best, everything we do, we do to the highest standard possible and our manufacturing facility is no exception.
3. Cruising through your website and I came across Burst #reimagined, from what I can gather Burst was one of your first hits at NCV, have you done a revamp on an old favorite? What goes into taking something great and making it better?
The original Burst was actually the first new release after we had launched our original range (Milked, Redrish, StrawBshake and Fruloops). It was definitely a hit and for many vapers was their ADV for a while. We discontinued our original line but are introducing #REIMAGINED versions of them to the market, Burst #REIMAGINED being the first. For the fans of the originals, OneShots are becoming available - again Burst Original is the first OneShot we have introduced to the market.
I wouldn’t say the Reimagined versions are “better”, that is up to the individual at the end of the day, but they are fresh new perspectives on the originals - We certainly intend for them to be quite different to the original but also hold onto certain aspects of the original.
4. While we are talking about Burst, congrats on the launch of Burst one shots. For us newer guys coming into DIY does it come with steeping instructions or is this where we actually Do It Ourselves and experiment with the wonders of waging?
Thank you! OneShots are definitely a fantastic way for DIYers and those who are a bit unsure of trying to come up with their own recipes to experience commercial recipes at a fraction of the cost. We also had a lot of demand for us to bring back some of the discontinued products so this is a great way for us to bring them back. We intend on broadening the SelfMade range and the next one will be available this month (Ripple Original). SelfMade comes in a 30ML chubby gorilla bottle which is super easy to mix with and the box it comes in does have a suggested recipe on the back. When it comes to steeping, of course we always suggest a few days but they are good shake n vapes
5. Personally, when I think of NCV I think of the clever boxes and the way shops use three boxes to make one logo and also Trinity on Ice. Is it a process taking an established recipe and adding ice to it. In my limited experience in the DIY world I find ice can change a whole recipe.
Thank you, product design and the way it impacts the customer is very important to us.
Trinity is our flagship product, we have manufactured millions of millilitres of the stuff so yes it was a daunting idea to fiddle with it. I think it depends on the Ice factor - a potent ice hit can overpower the other flavours so one may have to balance the recipe accordingly. With Trinity Ice I feel we found a nice balance between the coolness and the fruit and it definitely transforms Trinity into something a little different to the original.
6. In July last year you launched Apex. What feelings does one feel when a new juice hits the market, I mean you and a small bunch of testers like it enough to launch it. Do you ever get pre-launch jitters?
Oh yes. Every time
It is extremely daunting launching a new product, especially when you really really care what the consumers think about your creation. It is definitely a relief when the first few reviews and comments come out positive We generally keep our new releases very secret right up until launch so not many people have tasted the final product. 7. On the subject of testers and testing..................... Admit you saw this question coming. What gear do you guys roll with?
I only run with 1 RDA and that is a Petri V2 with cloud cap - have been using it for a long time. Mods wise, currently I am using the Therion DNA75C and it does the job well. If it aint broke...
8. Going through your Insta page you seem to rotate your juices, Milked won the 2016 ecigssa Best breakfast juice and it's no longer on your site. How important is it for an established brand to keep current and not rest on your past victories?
As mentioned above we did discontinue our Original line. The vape industry is forever evolving and improving in all aspects and our Original line had been around for a long time (in vape years). We didn’t want to completely get rid of them so #REIMAGINED line was born (still giving birth to it haha). We have to step up our game all the time - we have tough competition but are always ready to compete and better ourselves. Trinity is still going strong though, it has certainly stood the test of time and that is very hard to achieve in such a saturated and competitive industry.
9. When two Juice makers walk into a bar whats the scene like? Do you all generally get along as competitors or is their always going to be a bit of competitiveness.
It’s generally a fight to the death. Haha. No, for the most part juice makers get along and support each other. The vaping community in SA is very tightly knit so we all know each other and interact quite frequently. I am friends with many juice makers and there is a mutual respect for one another for sure!
10. In one sentence, how would you describe your brand?
Vape the best
11. Once again Mike, thanks for making time for this interview, it's always good to learn more about the brands we love.
Can we expect anything new and exciting from NCV? I know you have just released your one shots, but do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?
It has been a pleasure Bruce, thank you for showing an interest in our brand and I hope those of you who read this enjoyed it!
We certainly do have a few tricks up our sleeve. Some are imminent
In terms of comps, we run a giveaway on our Facebook page almost every week so those of you who are on Facebook should go check that out! A message from Mike to all egigssa members
Yes, absolutely. Ecigssa has been a big part of NCVs’ growth and we appreciate all the input and support from its’ members over the years. We will continue to support this forum as it provides all us enthusiasts such a friendly platform to talk and discuss our vaping passion with like minded individuals. Thank you all!
You can find a list of NCV stockists here to calm your craving http://www.ncvapes.co.za/stockist/
