DIZPOT’s Problem Solving Capabilities Helps Cannabis Brands Thrive
What it Takes to be a Top Cannabis Packaging Supplier
Recently, MJBizDaily interviewed several cannabis brands to find out what they look for in a marijuana packaging designer and supplier. Included was what they consider red flags when evaluating potential suppliers.
As an industry leader in the space, the diverse team at DIZPOT weighed in on the commentary and offered insight to how DIZPOT is setting new benchmarks in cannabis packaging design.
“With our core value at DIZPOT being ‘Old School Service,’ all customer projects are the first priority for everyone in the company. This value is so important to our team that one of our co-founders, John Hartsell tattooed this mantra on his forearm,” said Jeff Scrabeck COO & co-founder of DIZPOT.
When a packaging customer comes to us with a problem, we never view situations as problems, rather as challenges that can be solved. These solutions that our team can make reality are the reason so many customers have been with us for years.
“We have incredibly strong problem-solving skills related to cannabis specifically here at DIZPOT,” said co-founder and CEO John Hartsell.
What the Industry Has to Say and Why DIZPOT is the Right Fit
Each team member at DIZPOT has a story that provides experience, perspective, and solutions. Let’s get into responses from some of our team members based on packaging comments from others in the cannabis industry.
Staci Scholl, National Sales Manager
“If there is poor communication in the beginning, that’s a red flag for me. Working with a packaging vendor is a partnership, and you need to be able to rely on them, especially in crunch-time situations.” – Allie Marconi, senior director of marketing, Copperstate Farms and Sol Flower, Snowflake, Arizona
Staci Scholl brings it back to the values of DIZPOT in her response.
“We at DIZPOT take our core values seriously in that “old school service” is built in every conversation, email, and interaction with our customers. We’re essentially an extension of your company and we want to ensure we represent ourselves the way you’d expect a premier packaging company to reflect your brand’s integrity. This flows into the very last hand that touches your product…the consumer. We work shoulder-to-shoulder to make for a cohesive, highly communicative, and successful partnership with you and yours.”
AJ Keller, Senior Designer
“Look for responsiveness. Since we create and design all of our packaging from scratch internally, it is critical for our suppliers to be able to communicate quickly and effectively as we deal with the inevitable challenges that arise from creating custom packaging.” – Dominick Volpini, vice president, Cloudious9, Fremont, California
AJ Keller reiterates DIZPOT’s drive for technology advancements in the cannabis space with tools that are constantly utilized.
“The core of this quote is being able to communicate efficiently which is something we are working on internally every day, but something that we also extend to our customers. In the creative department, we use tools like Go Visually to better communicate with them by allowing in-time comments for changes or approval.”
Brittany Kidd, Procurement & Sales Support
“A big red flag that cannabis operators should look out for in packaging suppliers is an unfamiliarity with local compliance requirements. We currently operate in a fragmented, state-by-state cannabis regulatory structure, and it’s critical that brands have compliant packaging.” – Austin Stevenson, chief innovation officer, Vertosa, Oakland, California
As a national cannabis packaging supplier, DIZPOT has representation in many legalized states throughout the country. Brittany Kidd explains how her role in procurement supports.
“Working on estimates for multiple states, I know how important it is to make sure I have all the details down to make sure their items are compliant.”
Kyle Dickinson, Shipping Coordinator
“The consumer’s experience is paramount, so personally ensuring ease of access to the product is critical.” – Lauren Claire Smith, director of product and innovation strategy, Plus, San Mateo, California
Kyle Dickinson reminds us that there are so many moving parts when it comes to cannabis packaging.
“We all have a role in this.”
Paige Turncliff, Creative Designer
“It’s critical for suppliers to have worked with a variety of packaging materials and form factors. Packaging suppliers with industry range (e.g., cosmetics, food, pharma, beauty, etc.) tend to have really strong problem-solving capabilities within their organizations – this is a key attribute.” – Jonathan Persofsky, co-founder and CEO, Green Gruff, Boca Raton, Florida
Paige Turncliff reiterates the importance of the team’s vast knowledge and experience in the overall cannabis industry.
“We need a really strong knowledge of products and how to problem solve for them. A lot of places promise what they can’t deliver, vendors included, and part of our job is to know what can be done and to do it in a realistic way.”
Jordan Grewe, Sales Support
“Packaging suppliers often mask actual costs by adding surcharges, increased shipping expenses and variable tariff charges.” – Trent Woloveck, chief commercial director, Jushi Holdings, Boca Raton, Florida
Working with clients daily, Jordan Grewe knows the pain points that they have had in the past with previous cannabis packaging suppliers. With a thorough estimation process, Jordan explains why DIZPOT customers do not receive any surprises.
“We all know other companies tend to mask certain charges to “win the deal” and then invoice the remaining charges when it’s all said and done. Here at DIZPOT, we provide all shipping charges (even providing a low and high range on our estimates) and tariffs upfront providing full transparency on the pricing for the customers’ orders, creating trust between us and our clients.”
Joel Rivard, Account Executive
“A big red flag that cannabis operators should look out for in packaging suppliers is an unfamiliarity with local compliance requirements.” – Austin Stevenson, chief innovation officer, Vertosa, Oakland, California
Education and familiarity with current regulations and trends in cannabis is important for DIZPOT team members. Joel Rivard explains more in-depth.
“It is my experience in the short time that I have been at DIZPOT that we have invested and put a huge emphasis on resources for all of our teammates to be well versed in regulations in each state. This judgement from a new customer is easily avoided by doing your own research, using the tools given, and setting yourself up for success before the call.”
Tyler Scrabeck, Purchasing & Logistics Manager
“You also need a supplier that can help forecast properly, so you don’t get caught without packaging when you need it.” – Jonathan Persofsky, co-founder and CEO, Green Gruff, Boca Raton, Florida
At DIZPOT, the job is never done when the sale is made. There is a whole team that is next in line to help clients with branding, design, procurement, and logistics. This is especially important with the current supply chain issues. Tyler Scrabeck explains below.
“Firsthand, I have seen Cass, our Procurement Manager, go through the timelines for specifically with larger customers of ours, literally planning everything out for their jar and cartridge orders, to planning their deliveries out perfectly so they always have proper packaging products. It is procurement’s job to make sure we are providing our Sales Team as well as our customer proper timelines and correct information, so they always have packaging and products on the shelves.”
Sean Ritchie, Controller
“Packaging suppliers often mask actual costs by adding surcharges, increased shipping expenses and variable tariff charges. All these additional expenses will then be invoiced, either separately from the packaging product purchased or as a collective line item. Therefore, it may seem like you’re saving money with packaging, but in reality, the actual cost is often unpredictable and difficult to track.” – Trent Woloveck, chief commercial director, Jushi Holdings, Boca Raton, Florida
As a thought leader and expert in both the cannabis and packaging industry, DIZPOT can foresee challenges that a client may not have and include this information upfront to avoid unseen costs or delays throughout the project. Sean Ritchie explains more.
“Making sure our customers know that not all estimates are apples to apples comparisons. Being transparent about our costs and making sure we communicate that with our customer’s up front. Rather than being the company that hits them with fees on the back end.”
Willy Cummer, Documentarian
“Our goal was to find companies that truly shared our values of sustainability and recyclability.” – Chris Lane, chief marketing officer, Airfield Supply Co., San Jose, California
Along with supporting the passions of its employees, DIZPOT has several initiatives to help the earth. Cannabis packaging can add a significant amount of waste, so DIZPOT has led the way to partner with its customers to reduce this number. One of the ways is through its partnership with Resinate Recycle. Willy VanDyke adds his thoughts on the topic.
“It has been nice to participate in recycling materials with DIZPOT.”
Megan De Los Santos, Purchasing Coordinator
“Always get a physical sample of any packaging prior to purchase. Fill it with your actual product (or a 3D-printed version) and gauge the typical user experience by practicing opening and closing it.” – Lauren Claire Smith, director of product and innovation strategy, Plus, San Mateo, California
Any product manager knows that the user or customer experience is what a great packaging design comes down to. Megan De Los Santos explains how DIZPOT makes this happen.
“Since implementing this practice with all our projects, I feel it gives the customer a peace of mind knowing their products will fit into their chosen application and it also gives them a glimpse of the quality products we provide. Therefore, it’s important to get samples from customers as well, so we can give our vendors the tools they need to produce what we need.”
Martez Davis, Sales Support Manager
“If there is poor communication in the beginning, that’s a red flag for me.” – Allie Marconi, senior director of marketing, Copperstate Farms and Sol Flower, Snowflake, Arizona
Martez Davis works with clients daily and hears what they are looking for from a cannabis packaging specialist.
“This is one of the most important in my eyes, as I myself hear a lot of clients say they are looking for packaging partners who are reliable and communicate with them every step of the way. Our core values put us ahead of many of our competitors because we always nurture our relationships with our clients and stay transparent all the way through and that’s what keeps them wanting to work with us.”
Scott Blair, Account Executive
“You also need a supplier that can help forecast properly, so you don’t get caught without packaging when you need it.” – Jonathan Persofsky, co-founder and CEO, Green Gruff, Boca Raton, Florida
DIZPOT can plan ahead for their clients using proprietary technology that they have created. Scott Blair explains below.
“I’m going to have to piggyback off Tyler here but planning supply chain sheets and presenting them to clients has either made a great impression or closed deals. It has enabled me to follow up with clients and have visibility of how much packaging they need. This helped sell 100k exit bags to a large customer of ours, on top of their custom bags coming in. Knowing your clients run rates and predicting their custom delivery times will help you sell more generics in the meantime.”
Cassandra Lynn, Procurement Manager
“Find a packaging supplier who can consistently meet deadlines and provide plenty of forewarning about delays. Depending on how you source your packaging, it is also very important for both you and the supplier to understand each other’s cultures. For example, Chinese New Year takes place in February, which can interrupt lead times. Not knowing how to properly prepare for orders around that time can lead to challenges.” – Brooks Allman, founder and head of product, Platinum Brands, Denver
DIZPOT considers cultures and lifestyles for not only its employees, but also for the vendors that it works with to ensure a smooth project timeline for their clients. Cassandra Lynn explains below.
“We have a great grasp on how the supply chain works throughout the year, which allows us to predict when shipping costs, material costs and production times will be affected. We are very transparent with our customers when it comes to lead times, shipping costs and order deadlines. Our goals are to make sure our customers are prepared at all times to keep their packaging and products on the shelves.”
Choosing the Right Cannabis Packaging Supplier
From the thorough explanations above, it is understood that DIZPOT’s employees work in sync to face all challenges and create solutions for its customers. By sticking to the core values of the company, DIZPOT has become one of the most trusted cannabis packaging companies in the industry. Want to begin discussing your packaging challenges to see how we can help? Contact DIZPOT today: https://www.dizpot.com/contact/.