Every cannabis user knows what to expect when they see a pre rolled cone. They know they can pop it in their mouth, light it with ease, and assume that every puff will deliver the same therapeutic effects they expect, time after time. To deliver this kind of consistency, businesses that fill cones depend on predictable characteristics that begin at the start of the cone paper manufacturing process.
Consistency And The Product Cycle
The pre roll market is composed of various industries. Farms cultivate and harvest raw materials, and manufacturers use the raw materials to make paper for empty pre rolled tubes and cones. Businesses sell the empty tubes and cones directly to consumers or use them for pre roll products. These are the stakeholders in the pre roll marketplace, and all of them demand quality and consistency.
Valuable contributions to pre roll product consistency begin at the lowest level of manufacturing, with the raw materials used in cone and rolling paper production.
Consistency In Raw Materials
Materials used in paper can affect cone appearance, flavor, and scent. Some raw materials contain organic compounds like terpenes that create a distinctive scent or taste.
The raw materials used for making paper for smoking come from many different sources. Typical sources include recycled wood and paper products, agricultural byproducts, rice, hemp, wood pulp, flax, flower petals, bark of certain trees, leaves of specific plants, and more. The adhesive used to attach filters and ensure that cones do not unwrap may be sugar-based or contain gum Arabic, an organic adhesive made from the sap of specific acacia trees.
Since every growing season can be different, the quality of plant products may change from season to season. Farms and collectors can account for this by adjusting their techniques to ensure their harvest is consistent in size and composition with what they need for the market. Consistency gives them confidence that their crops will pass all lab tests and health and safety standards that apply to their market. These tests are particularly rigorous with materials that come in contact with the human body, like food and smoking products.
Consistency In Manufacturing
Good material for cones and rolling papers has consistent features. It burns slowly and evenly, leaves minimal ash, and contributes no objectionable scent or taste to the smoking experience. This type of paper is at its best when you notice it the least. Special papers are the exception. They should consistently deliver the qualities that make them special, whether it is a scent, flavor, or a special effect designed to enhance the smoking experience.
To ensure a consistent smoking experience, quality cone manufacturing methods include numerous forms of testing. They may include confidence tests on incoming raw materials and continuous monitoring of processes throughout the facility. A good quality control process can identify weaknesses that affect quality, eliminate them, and prevent them from returning, ensuring consistency for each batch of products.
Consistency In The Marketplace
The main stakeholders in the raw pre roll marketplace are at-home cone users and businesses that sell pre rolled products. These parties value product consistency in different ways.
Consistency At Home
One reason ready-to-fill cones are popular with cannabis fans is because they can consistently hold the same amount of flower. If they have 7 grams of flower, they know they can make 7 1-gram cones, for example, or 14 0.5-gram cones. Consistent size gives homemade cones a level of predictability that would be difficult to attain otherwise.
Consistency is especially important to consumers who want to make special cones. Special cones may contain unique smoking blends, or anything the user wants, like mushrooms, hash, kief, terpenes, flowers, and CBD oil. These cones may require a certain type of paper, and a brand that can consistently supply the right paper will attract these consumers. Inconsistent products will drive them off, and it may be hard to gain them back.
Consistency For Medical Marijuana Patients
Aside from being a solution for making quality cones at home, pre rolled products are important because they give medical marijuana patients an easy way to self-regulate.
Once a patient determines the right size and filter type for personal cannabis therapy, they may not want to change their cone style or brand for a very long time. This kind of brand loyalty may be difficult to acquire if your cones are inconsistent.
Consistency At The Dispensary
Manually filling empty pre rolls can be a slow process and tends to make inconsistent-looking products. This method is fine for at-home use, but it is not a solution for mass production. To speed filling and make consistent-looking cones, most businesses use a machine or a system that helps to automate the filling process, and raw cone consistency is especially important here.
The typical filling machine uses screens, trays, or inserts that are designed for whatever cone the operator wants to produce. These parts provide physical support to the empty cones so that the machine can fill them. Before filling, these inserts must be loaded with empty cones, and this step is usually done by hand. An experienced operator can fill most inserts in a short time, depending on their capacity, but inconsistent cones increase this time, which can drive up labor costs and lower production rates.
Consistency In Contents
Cones should always contain what the label indicates, and cones in packs should always be filled to the same density and have the same type of filter. This makes customers feel confident they will get what they expect. Good record-keeping, training, and quality control processes are needed to ensure these errors cannot occur.
Consistency In Packaging
The final step after machine-filling is usually packaging, and this is another area where consistency rules.
Distinctive and consistent packaging helps your products be seen, and bright colors and a professional-looking design can work wonders. Good packaging gets your product noticed by new customers and identified faster by those who are familiar with your brand. By maintaining a consistent package appearance, your brand stands a better chance of forming a positive association in the minds of prospective consumers.
Consistency And Branding
Custom pre rolls include private-label products that carry brand logos or special designs. The logo (or design) may be watermarked, embossed in foil, printed on the filter, or supplied separately on paper bands.
An attractive design or logo can make any cone seem more valuable, and make customers feel they have spent their money wisely. Inconsistent cones or poorly applied logos will almost surely have the opposite effect, and customers who buy inconsistent-quality products may avoid your brand the next time they are in the market for cones.
Consistent Products Help Drive Consistent Sales
Competition in the cannabis marketplace is high, and so are the stakes. It’s important to do everything you can to maintain sales, and the consistent popularity of pre rolled products like cones, joints, and read-to-smoke blunts, can help you expand your customer base. With good flower and a consistently high-quality raw cone supplier, you have a greater chance to meet current customer expectations and drive brand awareness in a positive direction for your cannabis operation.
