The idea for O.pen started in 2010. Some of our original founders were early entrants to the Green Rush in Colorado and owned medical dispensaries at the time. They were seeing a lot of older patients coming in who were looking to get benefits and relief from cannabis, but wanted something other than smokeable flower and that was healthier to consume. There really weren’t a lot of [vape] products available at that time.
I don’t know if we were the first, but we like to say that we popularized that form factor. We did sourcing with partners overseas and found that form factor, and I think we were one of the first to popularize it. Our [business] license number is 0064, so we were the 64th licensed entity in the State of Colorado, but I think we are one of the longest continuously running entities in the State of Colorado.O.
The cannabis industry is certainly not without its curveballs. It’s been an exciting and kind of crazy ride over the last ten years, for sure. I think some of the keys to our success have been partnerships, and really prioritizing retail relationships and partner relationships in states outside of Colorado. Really trying to keep our ear to the ground, and understanding what customers are looking for. Being present, having that interaction with them through pop-ups and events and engagements.
We’ve had a few evolutions of the battery, which gives you some additional tech functionality to it, like being able to change the heat setting. As the extraction technology evolves, the types of oils have evolved. Some might be a higher potency, or some might be more terpene- or flavor-forward, so the heat setting for something like that could change.