F E AT U R E
SNEAK PEAK IN
CHARLIE’S CHALK DUST HQ:
WHERE COOL VAPES RULE
Recently, the Vapouround Team visited the headquarters of
Charlie’s Chalk Dust in Orange County, California.
This is what we learned.
W
alking through the double-doors, we were greeted by
a man on a hoverboard. “What’s up?” he smiled and
asked us. Another young man was refining his golf swing
gleefully in the corner. Trick Daddy’s Cuz I’m a Thug was playing
somewhere on speakers in the sprawling facility. We quickly
realized this was no ordinary office.
Charlie's Chalk Dust was started in Southern California by two
brothers from Northeast Ohio. Like so many people in the vape
community, they were determined to quit smoking. At the time,
they felt there were a number of pretty solid flavors out on the
market but they couldn't find a flavor they could vape all-day and
kept coming back to cigarettes. Instead of waiting for someone
else to come up with one, they decided to make it themselves.
What started as an experiment in a garage led to months of
mixing and cycling through endless combinations. The results:
five original flavors they could vape all-day. They quit smoking.
Unsure if they were blinded by the months of creating the
flavors, they shared it with friends, set up a booth at ECC and
exploded into the international scene. The mystery of Charlie
was born.
Charlie's Chalk Dust personifies the simple things: the finest
e-liquids crafted to nothing short of perfection, the importance
of family, and the integrity of both content and character. They
offered their first five flavors in the original matte black bottles we
have come to love. A few months later they released a second
line in matching matte white. The brand they have created
86 ISSUE 03 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
reflects that simplicity. To the founders, the choice was Black
and White.
In a crowded industry, Charlie's looks to set its brand apart from
the rest. Trust, respect, and the drive to make every day better
than the last are values that live at the core of the company.
Determined to build relationships that reflect those values and
the tight bonds within the company, they have woven a wide
network across the world in thousands of storefronts where
Charlie's is available. This California company has gone from
a brash, backyard word-of-mouth upstart--to an award-winning
ambassador of an international movement. How did they do it?
The brothers attribute their success to two key elements. The
first is past work experience; they learned from working closely
with CEO’s of small businesses, learning how to operate on
a daily basis. The other is a knack for putting the right people
in the right places. Now with over thirty full-time employees,
Charlie’s Chalk Dust has held exactly ONE interview. Every
single employee has been recruited, personally invited, to bring
their particular set of skills to achieve their shared vision: to
be the best brand in the world. The team is far less corporate
than they are cooperative: a true band of brothers. As one of
the founders says, “I truly believe that we have the best team in
the industry, hands down. We want our consumers to feel like
they’re part of our big, happy, chaotic family.”
Finally, the group at Charlie’s loves what they do. The joy of the
journey to this point far outweighs the desire for a destination.