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MJBizCon 2022: Vape-Jet Has Leveled Up 

Three days of cannabis industry pandemonium in Las Vegas? Must be MJBizCon 2022!  

With over 30,000 attendees, industry insiders, and celebrity cameos, this year’s MJBizCon was one to remember. The Vape-Jet booth was packed, our fully-automatic Vape-Jet vape cartridge-filling machine and semi-automatic Jet Fueler took center stage, and our industry friends are thriving—what more could you ask for? 

See how it all went down and why this MJBizCon was the best yet: 

The Evolution of VJ at MJ

Among the returnees to MJBizCon this year, Vape-Jet founder and CEO Ryan Hoitt had a great time reconnecting with friends and introducing newcomers to the world of vape cartridge-filling automation. 

To Ryan, the differences from 2019 to 2022 couldn’t be starker: “In 2019, we walked around, smuggling in brochures and doing guerrilla marketing trying not to get caught.” In those days, Vape-Jet was a fairly new concept, and the potential of an automatic cartridge-filler was not as obvious as it is today. “Our handouts got trashed faster than we could place them, but it brought in just enough interest to bootstrap the first couple of sales,” Ryan recalls. 

In 2021, we set up our first Vape-Jet booth, allowing us to build some brand awareness and connect with folks interested in innovation. “People were starting to take notice, and sales were climbing,” Ryan says. 

If 2019 and 2021 were focused on establishing our brand and generating interest, 2022 was the payoff. “We had to take off our branded shirts just to get a moment of silence during after-hours events and date nights,” Ryan says. “People came purposefully to see us in person. All around town, we ran into existing clients, formed relationships with new ones, and got to experience our 10 seconds of fame.”  

This development, though not entirely surprising given the rapid growth of automated vape-filling processes, was very special to behold. “When we started building a B2B vape cartridge-filling equipment brand, I never for a moment thought we would experience so much recognition, admiration, and command such respect in the industry.” 

“I am incredibly proud of the entire Vape-Jet team for making this a possibility, and I can’t wait to see what 2023 brings.” 

Partners and Friends at MJ

It was great seeing so many familiar faces this year, including: 

Hardware Partners 

Customers 

Equipment Manufacturers 

Terpene Suppliers 

The Evolution of the Vape Market 

Of course, Ryan wasn’t our only representative at MJBizCon. Resident chemist, COO, and co-founder Devon Reid also made his return to the tradeshow floor this year.  

Aside from being chased around MJBizCon (until he took off his branded gear), Devon notes a decisive industry focus on improving QA. “The market is shifting from a fixation on throughput to a focus on quality,” Devon says. “The renewed focus on quality encompasses not only the machine that puts the oil into the cartridges, but the cartridges themselves, the oil itself, the upstream processes for obtaining the oil, and the downstream consequences of implementing all the upstream quality improvements.” 

Why? Because a surplus of supply means customers are faced with more options than ever before. Now, Devon says, many businesses are taking a holistic approach to product planning. “From high-quality equipment to high-quality products, businesses see the positive consequences for end-users (increased sales) and employees (increased retention).” 

Utilizing automatic cartridge-fillers like our Vape-Jet fully-automatic filling machine is a surefire way to improve customer and employee satisfaction. “Fire in, fire out—it’s that simple,” Devon says. 

The Evolution of Vape Producers 

Vape-Jet sales rep Sawyer Sheppard has seen his share of cannabis industry tradeshows and has developed a keen eye for industry trends and matching customers with solutions that fit their long-term goals.  

At MJBizCon 2022, Sawyer highlights a key theme: versatility. “With the rise in different form factorsincluding disposables, pod-type systems, and higher quality oils like live resin and rosin—heating up in the market, versatility is the name of the game.” 

To improve their versatility, Sawyer noticed that brands are increasingly looking for partnerships. “Many customers are now looking for long-term equipment suppliers that they can grow with,” Sawyer says, emphasizing the word “growth.” “After being burned by tone-deaf ‘product support teams,’ businesses want a partner who is not just selling them equipment, but is dedicated to their long-term growth.” 

MJBizCon Session: Vape Market Breakdown

What’s happening in the vape market as we enter 2023? Industry trends took center stage as insiders discussed consumer and quality developments heading into the new year.  

If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry, here are some key highlights: 

Consumer Trends 
  • Women now account for 57% of vape cartridge users 
  • Consumers increasingly focus on cannabis growers due to live and solventless processes, whole plant efficacy, and the cannabis marketing ecosystem 
  • Speakers emphasized good manufacturing practices that keep formulations simple and test at every stage of the process 
Quality Trends 
  • It has never been more important to hire people who really love cannabis 
  • Shelf stability is essential, but old cannabis shouldn’t be written off 
  • The days of scarcity are over, so diversification of products is paramount 
What’s Next? 
  • Freeze-dried flowers, cannabis experiences (lounges, serving, sampling, pallet development) 
  • States requiring vapor testing during production 
  • New vape sizes and cannabinoid focus coming to market 

‘Till MJBizCon 2023!

We want to extend a sincere “thank you” to everyone who made it to our booth this year! MJBizCon 2022 could not have been the success it was for our team without your support, and we look forward to building off the positive energy we received. The cannabis industry is driven by innovators who prioritize product quality, responsible scaling, and versatile technology, and we are proud to continue leading the charge in vape cartridge automation. 

If you are interested in partnering with us, reach out to our crew to learn how Vape-Jet can provide next-level products for your customers.   

While you’re at it, don’t forget to sign up for our monthly Re:Fill newsletter to get early access to company updates, product releases, and other exciting announcements. Follow us on the essentials, too: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.    

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MJBizCon 2021: Vape-Jet Has Entered the Game

Two years ago our exec team showed up to MJBizCon 2019 in our signature hoodies with brochures in their pockets and high hopes. They networked while walking the expo floor and met with potential partners and customers offsite to establish working relationships and promote the only machine we had in production at that time; the Vape-Jet 2.0 fully-automatic filling machine.


Fast forward two years through a vaping crisis and a global pandemic to MJBizCon 2021. This year our team arrived on the expo floor with a dedicated booth, a new semi-automatic filling machine (Jet Fueler 2.0), an upgraded fully-automatic filling machine (Vape-Jet 3.0), a brand new automatic capping machine (Squish-o-Matic 1000), and our same signature hoodies. (Plus a few gold doge coins in our pockets.)

Vape-Jet Exec Team 2019 and 2021: Brian Kuo – CFO, Ryan Hoitt – CEO, Devon Reid – COO
Standard Currency at Vape-Jet

This year our crew was able to connect with hundreds of attendees looking for affordable automation solutions in the face of a nationwide labor shortage, economic inflation, and supply chain disruptions. Those we spoke to were looking for solutions to their production challenges that provided low labor costs, increased workflow efficiency, and allowed them to adapt to different cartridge types as the availability of their usual hardware has become less reliable in recent months. At Vape-Jet we pride ourselves on our ability to innovate, adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of our customers. All traits that have become increasingly important during a period where “unprecedented times” have become the norm.

Devon Reid Talking Through the Benefits of the Machine Vision Feature of the Vape-Jet Fully-Automatic Filling Machine
Vape-Jet Booth and a Visit from Nate with N.B.Oler

As we’ve grown as a company, we’ve expanded our network of partners.

Amongst these are brands like Arcane Aromatics, a new-to-market supplier offering botanical terpene blends, hemp botanical extracts, and hemp + botanical terpene blends available at prices you won’t find elsewhere. If you visited our booth at the convention, you likely would have picked up on the scent of Arcane’s samples before you even saw our team as these aromatic creations were impossible to miss. Visit ArcaneAromatics.com to learn more about their pre-launch catalog and get early access to their product line. (Pro Tip: Arcane offers partner pricing for current and new Vape-Jet customers for orders of 60mL through 1L.)

Grant of Arcane Aromatics Discussing Their Pre-Launch Catalog
A Peek at Arcane Aromatics’ Botanical Terpene Blends

Also on display at MJBizCon were products from Advanced Vapor Devices (AVD) who produce a variety of the highest quality vape hardware. All AVD products work seamlessly with the Vape-Jet and Jet Fueler filling machines, as well as the Squish-o-Matic 1000 capping machine. For oil brands and processors AVD offers a test hardware kit that includes cartridges, disposables and batteries at no cost. Learn more at AVD710.com.

Vape-Jet 3.0 Demoing Dry Runs with AVD Cartridges
The AVD Social Media Team Stopped by for a Quick Interview with CEO Ryan Hoitt

Another excellent hardware manufacturing partner present on the expo floor was the team at BeGreen Supply. They offer custom engineered and branded cannabis hardware and packaging solutions that can be filled with our automatic filling machines. BeGreen shares the Vape-Jet perspective that your brand “deserves the ability to react to shifts in market and customer demand” and offer custom branded hardware in 30 days or less allowing production to stay agile and flexible. Learn more at BeGreenSupply.com

The Jet Fueler 2.0 and a Variety of Compatible Cartridges Including BeGreen Supply

In addition to our partners in manufacturing and suppliers our team met with several current customers who had great feedback on their experience with our products. Recently our customer Alex of Dime Industries (CA) told us “The Jet Fueler speaks for itself. There’s not another machine on the market that will last a million fills with no maintenance.”

The Jet Fueler 2.0 Demo Unit on Display
A Variety of Compatible Cartridges by AVD, Ilo and More

If you stopped by our booth during the show you may have met another one of our customers, James of Natural Roots Extracts (OR) who remains one of our most loyal customers having used every variation of our machines from Vape-Jet 1.0 and Jet Fueler 1.0 up to our latest iterations. He was also one of the original test users of our new automatic capping machine and is credited with coming up with the official name, Squish-o-Matic 1000. James recently said “The Vape-Jet 3.0 has really blown my mind. The improvement to our workflow has been literally life-changing.” We’re glad he was able to attend the show and share his experience and expertise with anyone interested in our filling and capping solutions.

James of Natural Roots Extracts Discussing Cartridge Styles
James’ Vape-Jet 3.0 Unit Performing Dry Runs During the Show

All in all MJBizCon 2021 was a major success for the Vape-Jet team and a clear reflection of how far we have grown since hitting the expo floor in 2019. Thank you to everyone on the team who made this show possible. We’ll see you all again in 2022!

The Vape-Jet Booth
Brian Kuo – CFO, Ryan Hoitt – CEO, Sawyer Sheppard – Sales Rep
Two Legends Meet: Tommy Chong and Brian Kuo
Squish-o-Matic 1000 on Display
Until next year!