The Creation of START

Introduction

Picking up vaping is often done through simple flavours of liquids, tobacco or mono-aromas. Find out about the creation of the Start line, a line of e-liquids for beginners.

The genesis

As you may know by now, there are two members of the Sweetch team passionate about creating and developing new e-liquid lines. A desire to tell stories about new flavours, to create a whole new world and identity just like we did for women with Audace. Or with Mood and the possibily to vape according to your mood. New ideas are constantly emerging... This is the story of our most recent creation : START.

Why the name, why this line ?

We’re lucky to have daily chats with our shops and sales teams. Every day, they’re in contact with new customers walking through the door of our shops with desires and expectations. They’re here to quit smoking, to try a new adventure, and they have a lot to teach us. By listening to them, in a kind and open way, we can start to try and understand their hopes, what they’re looking for and expectation when visiting a vape shop. We pay attention to what they like and dislike. What they’re into but above all what they feel we lack in our range, and what they would expect to find.

By listening to them, we advise them, we guide them, we offer them dozens of tastings in order to understand their desires. This is how we’ve identified that there’s a need for simplicity. A line that’s accessible, direct, clear. No fuss. A line specially made for beginners.

So we took all our numbers, our sales statistics, store by store. Including the online shop. We analyzed and little by little, the ideal line started emerging. The different flavours, the tastes, the special features that would meet their needs.

And, we decided on the ideal launch time. A key period of the year for us is the month of May, since there’s the World No Tobacco Day during that month. A day dedicated to help people stop smoking and where we experience an increase in visitors, as many smokers decide to quit smoking on that day. At Sweetch, our priority has always been to help smokers quit with e-cigarettes. We’ve always been committed to being a welcoming brand, available to everyone, with a clear message. We knew what we had to do. The adventure was starting...

As always, it was Arnaud, Product Manager, who came with the first inputs in terms of tastes and line profile. A list of flavours, ideas, guidelines from years of in-store sales and the expectations of our current customers. That’s all it took for Sacheen, Marketing and Communication Manager, to start coming up with ideas to bring it to life.

Together, they came up with the line and the flavours, tasted it, refined it, organized the first meeting with the manufacturer of Nantes. At the same time, they started working on the storytelling, the name, the hooks. Then came the evenings of copywriting, how to talk about this new line, the context and the positionning. Followed by the collaboration with the creative team, the graphics, the development of labels, the colors. Everything fell into place, little by little, piece by piece, to get to our new launch.

After going back and forth a few times, the line was born, our new baby ready to see the light of day and to be available in shops right on time for May the 31st, the World No Tobacco Day.

The opportunity

Our brand has a clear mission, which is to allow everyone to find what they’re looking for in our range, in what we’re offering. Whatever the profile, the way of vaping, the budget.

However, one category that is particularly close to our hearts is beginners, smokers who want to quit. These new vapers that push the doors of our shops every day have many similarities.They are looking for simplicity at first, they want something familiar. When we talk about e-liquids, they often start by saying "tobacco, the closest to the taste of cigarettes."

And sometimes, they actually want to try something different. But without complexity, without too many mixtures. They want to taste the fruit, in the most simple way, a unique flavour.

This is why we decided to launch the Start line. To meet the expectations of all the people who want to vape simply.

The Line

In order to offer a simple product line, Start has a selection of only 6 flavours. Reliable and recognizable tastes, single-flavoured recipes.

Check them out here :

1. Start american Tobacco : a classic tobacco flavour, close to cigarette, quite mild and delicate because it’s a blond tobacco. It’s mild and tasty, perfect for anyone who doesn't want to get too far away from the taste of cigarettes, at least at the beginning. We like to stick with what we like and know. The switch to e-cigarettes is already a big step, if the taste we know remains, it can be reassuring at first. Maybe even a key factor of success. You won't be surprised to know that it's the best-selling liquid of the line.
2. Start strawberry : then we decided to go for something fruity, a rich strawberry, sweet and tasty. When it comes to fruits, strawberries are the most popular and by far. Perhaps it’s because it reminds us of childhood, or the summer holidays that we love so much. A cup full of strawberries sprinkled with sugar, a syrup with ice cubes, a fruit sorbet. The strawberry attracts us and we like it. That’s why it was our first choice when it came to fruits.
3. Start mint : our third choice is a simple, fresh and sweet mint. It's often a hit in summer and during the hot season. It’s also the favorite flavour to vape after meals. Cool down without the bad smell. Our mint is pure and true, with a flavour that will immediately remind you of aromatic herbs and infusions.
4. Start caramelized tobacco : most of us have a sweet tooth, we like sugary treats. Adding a bit of caramel makes the tobacco milder and satisfies our dessert cravings. This is often the ideal compromise for beginners. They stay close to what they know, while allowing themselves a little fantasy. A treat. We’ve had customers tell us that they craved less sugary stuff, nibbled less, and that this could help them control their weight. A kiss-cool effect, helping smokers with their fear of gaining weight if they quit. It was worth mentioning.
5. Start red apple : when deciding on a second fruit, we analysed our sales statistics, and the apple is generally a flavour people want. So we decided to create a sweet and juicy red apple flavour. Why ? Because we often had feedbacks that the apples were generally very green, with a lot of punch and freshness, but a certain acidity that’s not to everyone’s liking. It lacks sweetness and sugar. So we emphasised on the red of the apple to sweeten it. Less rich than the strawberry, more classic in its aroma, it was successful from the beginning.
6. Start tobacco mint : Many smokers particularly appreciate mentholated cigarettes. That's why this flavour was an obvious addition to our range. A blond, simple tobacco with a hint of mint that adds a touch of freshness. It took us a bit time, many tastings and countless adjustments to achieve the perfect blend.

Each recipe comes from a certified and secure production, in order to help you in your success to quit smoking smoothly and calmly. Our e-liquids are available in 50ml, in short-fill with a 60ml bottles allowing the addition of a booster so that you can easily add the amount of nicotine you want to your liquid. A 10ml booster in the 50ml bottle to get 3mg of nicotine per ml. Two 10ml boosters in the 50ml bottle to get 6mg of nicotine per ml. For more details, please contact us and we will guide you for your mix.

The visuel communication

Because the line is simple, so should the color code be. An obvious colour for each flavour, representing it well. Tobacco will be brown, strawberry will be red, mint will be green.

The production

Manufacturers from any industry know it. The moment of the first production, the first time the product exists in real life is one of the most exhilarating steps of the process. A magical moment. A dream come true.

Printing the first labels. They’re beautiful, just like we imagined them. The colours stand out nicely, they’re harmonious and will look really good on the shelves of the shops.

Bottled, the production line is experienced, efficient, fast. Fortunately, given the tight deadlines for the launch.

Then the labeling that allows us to finally discover the finished product. Holding it in our hands for the first time was very emotional. The marketing team had tears in their eyes. The sales team hoped it you’d be a success. And the boss....Proud, and worried. She said, “you're sure ?” One of us shouted yes ! While the others said no !

Obviously stressed and worried… but we were all eager to test the market’s reaction.

The launch

From the very first week of launch, the line was a great success. In the shops, the message is simple : we have something new for beginners, a line designed to help you quit smoking. Being ready for World No Tobacco Day was a challenge but worth it. We were there, present for all the smokers who were ready to quit their tobacco addiction.

A trend quickly stood out.
At the top of the sales, the classic American tobacco. Followed by the strawberry. Close behind the caramelized tobacco. Then the red apple and the mint.

Today, we are proud and happy with these new creations, pleased to be able to collaborate with a great team that understands our wishes and supports us in our projects.

We look forward to seeing the evolution of the Start line, and will come back soon with more updates. Anyone that would like a taste, can get 2ml samples to try before buying.

And for those who want to try the adventure of a new life without tobacco, we invite you to discover below, a selection of ideal material to quit smoking. And the favorite flavours of begginners. We wish you good luck and congratulation for this great decision.

Thank you for reading,

See you soon with a new article... and a new line of liquids that’s already shaping up in our overactive brains.

The Sweetch team