FEATURE
ASH MEHMOOD
MANAGING DIRECTOR of Vape Duty Free
At the time this interview was conducted,
Britain was in the grip of a heatwave.
Or, as some people were optimistically
calling it, ‘summer.’ And if the scorching
temperatures weren’t enough, even the
most cynical English nationals were being
swept up in World Cup hysteria.
This provided the perfect backdrop for this
edition of Vaping Entrepreneur, which
features Ash Mehmood, owner of e-liquid
company, Vape Duty Free.
Much like the World Cup, this new range
of e-liquids celebrates cultural identity
and diversity, with countries as far and
wide as China, Ecuador, France and the
United Arab Emirates represented so
far. Not to mention the US in the form of
Kool-Aid, which won the Best Menthol/
Mint award at the Vaper Expo UK in May.
“We went to the expo with a limited
budget and a small profile,” Ash said. “So
to walk away with an award ahead of the
big guns was a shock to say the least.”
While the Nottingham-based company
is something of a new kid on the block,
Ash’s journey on the vapour trail goes
back a few years to his time working as
branch manager of Carphone Warehouse
in Coventry, where he was introduced to
40 | VM18
a Cigalike. He soon found himself being
headhunted by Cigara and took his first
steps into the industry.
“We wanted
to be our own
bosses and
travel the world
and that’s
exactly what
Vape Duty Free
has enabled
us to do”
The role gave Ash invaluable industry
experience that would set him on the path
to starting a vape business of
his own.
“It all started with a phone call, on my
birthday in November last year,” Ash said.
“And it hasn’t really stopped since.”
Ash’s experience at Cigara showed him just
how rewarding working with the vaping
community could be. But he soon found
that doing his own thing with three good
friends was even better.
“We wanted to be our own bosses and
travel the world and that’s exactly what
Vape Duty Free has enabled us to do.”
Vape Duty Free’s brand is something of
a masterstroke. With the cuisines, tastes
and flavours of hundreds of countries
to draw from, there are limitless juice
cocktail possibilities.
“The name makes sense,” Ash said.
“People instantly understand what it
represents, and it gives us a global
reach and sense of community.”
This sense of community extends
to Vape Duty Free’s growing customer-
base. Growth of the business is driven
by what vapers say they want from the
company. In order to give back to these
customers, Ash will soon be offering
one lucky vaper a unique opportunity to
develop an e-liquid of their own.
“We’re doing the competition in association