FEATURE
FEATURE
DIARY
OF A VAPER Featuring Abid Musa from Pukka Juice
I was never a heavy , daily smoker . More of a social one . I ’ d have the odd cigarette when I went out for a drink with mates and when I was on holiday .
That ’ s the thing with smoking – it brings people together and provides a backdrop for conversation . I was also quite into shisha for a while . Again , it was a social thing that brought me and my mates together a few times a week . But eventually , it started to affect my health . I ’ d be out exercising but after 10 or 15 minutes , I ’ d start puffing and have to stop . That , coupled with the fact that I ’ d just got married , encouraged me to stop smoking altogether . A family member who worked in the business introduced me to vaping and then last year I bought my first mod and vaping replaced shisha altogether . Even though I was won over , I wasn ’ t hugely impressed with the flavours on the market . Some of them were nice enough but none made me think , ‘ wow !’ I found out about the DIY juice-making scene and decided to have a go and making some liquids of my own , initially just for myself . But then I thought that I could maybe make it into a business . I had a chat with my brother about the idea and soon after , Pukka Juice was born . We were ready to launch in May last year – just in time for Vaper Expo . We inquired at the very last minute and luckily there was space for us . We had a great time and were back again in October for the launch of our short fill range . After an exciting and hectic weekend , we were delighted to come away with the Best Juice Flavour Award for Pukka Blaze . We met loads of great people at the expos . That ’ s one of the things I love about the industry . You build working relationships , some of which develop into friendships . Not all brands are the same but after meeting enough people you soon figure out who are the right people to work with . I ’ m really looking forward to the year ahead . The plan is to launch two new lines and to branch out across Europe . As for what happens after that , you ’ ll have to wait and see !
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