FEATURE
Inspired!
Meet bord
the company providing some
of France’s finest flavours
F
or centuries, the port city of Bordeaux, France, has been
synonymous with wine, art, culture and beauty. Thanks
to a vaping boom, it can now add a special e-liquid market to
that bounty. Such a place naturally provided endless inspiration
to Oliver Medina, founder of BordO2 and Oliver has kindly told
Vapouround the company’s story in full.
“It started in 2011 as an oxygen bar which also had e-cigarettes
available for patrons to buy,” he says.
The business soon branched out, opening a total of six vape shops
with 2012 being a big year for the company when it successfully
manufactured its first recipes. As French vaping grew in popularity,
Bordeaux became to perfect host city for a vape expo.
“Everything changed in 2014, after the first VAPEXPO in
Bordeaux,” says Oliver. “It was our first vape show. We were the
first company in France to use glass bottles with inspired visuals.
There weren’t as many French brands as today on the market at
the time, so we were able to establish ourselves as one of the top
ten straight away.”
BordO2 is now a marvel in the French vaping world, taking off
and growing with the tremendous speed often seen in those
companies which capture the imagination of the public. Its juices
can be found in over 200 shops around the country.
“A major moment for us was wholesaling in the UK for the first
time. We were able to do this with the help of Vape Importers. Last
year we entered a partnership with CRFT Labs in California and
had our juices manufactured there, tailored for the US market.”
BordO2 have developed a solid ten flavours overall, which
have been FDA-registered, though only five of them have been
released – the rest eagerly awaited by their loyal followers and
the vape market at large.
Like its namesake, BordO2 remains closely tied to good taste
and distinctive flavour. The world of e-liquid flavours is an ocean
of creative brilliance, often veering into the absurd, the abstract
68 | VM16
and over-the-top when it comes to names or tastes. This is by no
means a bad thing. Fantastical flavours and unexpected names
have led to some wonderful marketing campaigns and memorable
mascots, but some companies, such as this one, benefit from
keeping things simple and accessible.
“The taste is what we claim it is,” says Oliver. “There are no
differences between what you’ll read on the label and what you’ll
taste when you vape it. If we claim it’s a strawberry cake flavour,
we won’t rest until we’ve perfectly recreated the sensation.”
BordO2 accomplish this by involving every member of the
40-strong company in the crafting process, which is thorough,
consisting of multiple trials before completion.