How to Choose the Right Pre-Roll Supplier

There is no denying that the cannabis industry is extremely competitive. When it comes to supply chain and packaging, partnering with the right supplier can be the difference between success and failure. If you are evaluating suppliers, not only do you want to make sure they have high-quality products at a fair price, but more importantly, you want to make sure they have a deep expertise in your industry so they can help guide you and scale your business. At Custom Cones USA, we take pride in educating our clients on the latest industry trends and releasing the most innovative new items - helping you keep a competitive advantage in this competitive market.

As the cannabis industry has grown and matured, pre-rolls have been the fastest-growing segment for the past 2 years and now represent over 12% of the entire market across the US. Since pre-rolls are often the first item a potential customer may try, it's crucial that every element of your product is up to your standards. Cutting corners on your pre-rolled cones may leave customers with poor tasting or burning joints. Working with a trusted and reputable provider like Custom Cones USA will ensure that your pre-rolls are not only the smoothest burning but also compliant under all testing regulations.

What are the Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Pre-Roll Supplier?

There are many options when it comes to who and where you buy your pre-roll packaging. If you buy from companies on the market today that don’t understand the nuances of the pre-roll segment, they won’t be able to answer specific questions or help guide your decision making process. Especially if you are starting a new cannabis business, you should work with a pre-roll supplier that can help educate you as your business grows.

If you are unsure what to look for when vetting a pre-roll supplier, here are some key points you can follow in vetting potential partners.

Quality Control

A good pre-roll supplier will keep quality control at the front of their minds at all times.

Since rolling papers directly contribute to the taste and burn of your pre-rolls, it’s important that your supplier only uses the highest quality materials. Not only can low-quality rolling papers ruin the taste of your prized cannabis flowers, but certain chemicals and heavy metals might cause your products to fail lab tests. At Custom Cones USA, we are the most compliant pre-roll supply company in the industry! All final products, as well as their raw materials are carefully controlled and tested for heavy metals, pesticides, and microbials. We have all the testing documentation on hand and can easily send it to your compliance or operations team for approval. If other packaging or pre-roll supply companies do not have reputable and up-to-date testing, be weary.

Because pre-rolls are produced at a commercial capacity, issues with sizing can throw a serious wrench in your manufacturing process. While a 1mm variation might not seem like a big deal, it can easily keep pre-rolls from properly fitting into a machine. These “small” problems can cost you dearly when they slow down overall production of pre-rolls in your supply chain. This is especially important if you are using automated pre-roll machines, which require very uniform pre-rolled cones, both in size and weight. Not only is the opening diameter and bottom diameter of the pre-rolled cone important, but also the shape of that opening diameter. Poor quality cones will have a tear-drop or oval shaped opening, which will lead to more flower falling outside of this opening or these deformed cones from not even working in your pre-roll machines at all.

Additionally, the gum-line of the pre-roll is very important. The highest quality pre-rolled cones are made with a straight gum-line, which means excess paper is trimmed off and thus the least amount of rolling paper possible is used in the manufacturing of the pre-rolled cone. Cheaper quality pre-rolled cones will not have a straight gum-line, so you will notice a spiral effect, as the paper is overlapping in certain parts of the pre-rolled cones. This overlapping paper means more rolling paper flavor, as well as an increased propensity for the pre-roll to run or canoe.

Product Assortment

If your pre-roll supplier doesn’t have a good product assortment, it will greatly limit the types of cannabis products you can offer to customers.

Besides providing different cannabis strains in pre-rolls, it's also a good idea to offer a few different size options, blunt products, and multi-packs for customers. Different paper types appeal to consumers with different preferences and smoking habits, so even if you do not like smoking blunts or mini pre-rolled cones, these pre-roll types are extremely popular, so they are definitely worth expanding into. Working with a pre-roll supplier that has everything you need makes the ordering process for materials streamlined and easy for your operations or procurement team.

Since pre-rolls are the most customizable product type in the cannabis industry, it's important that your supplier has the materials and capabilities you need to develop exciting new products and enhance your brand. Here at Custom Cones USA, we not only offer the ability to add branding to the filter tip of your pre-rolled cones, but we can brand hemp wrap blunts with custom cigar bands, as well as add glass, wood, and ceramic filter tips. We can also customize any shape or size to create a totally custom and unique pre-rolled joint.

Customer Service

A strong and reliable cannabis packaging supplier will always prioritize customer service for their clients.

While you never plan on anything bad happening, it's inevitable that issues will arise where you will need help from your supply partners. If something happens and you can’t get your products to market on time, it's your customers who are ultimately impacted in the end.

Your pre-roll supplier should be willing to go above and beyond to help you get your cannabis products to market in a timely fashion. Generally, those suppliers that offer the best customer service are the ones that will be there to help troubleshoot any type of supply or production issue that you might run into.

How Can I Ensure the Pre-Roll Supplier I Choose Offers High-Quality Products?

Since the materials used by your pre-roll supplier will directly impact the quality of your cannabis products, it's critical that you properly vet a company before partnering with them.

Request Samples
Before you commit to placing a large order with a pre-roll supplier, you should always request samples of the products you are interested in. In doing so, you can ensure they use quality materials, as well as pay attention to fine details like straight gum lines and smooth burning papers.

Ask for Testing Documents
Compliance is a very important part of the cannabis industry. If you go through all the appropriate steps to produce quality flower, it would be a shame to have your products tainted by low-quality materials. As such, you should always ask your supplier for testing documents to verify their products. Taking these steps will help you avoid costly recalls, which not only cost money, but customer trust. 

Customer Reviews & Testimonials
Whether it be with Google or a more formal resource like the Better Business Bureau, it's a good idea to look online for customer reviews and testimonials regarding your prospective business partner. When an organization or business vouches for a pre-roll supplier, it can go a long way in boosting your confidence.

What are Some Effective Pricing Strategies for Pre-Roll Suppliers?

If you are looking to partner with a pre-roll supplier, there are a couple of key pricing strategies you can employ to save money and increase profit margins for your cannabis business.

Volume Discounts
To incentivize cannabis companies to purchase pre-roll supplies in bulk, companies like Custom Cones USA offer discounts for higher volume purchases. In fact, you can save 25% or more off when you purchase in bulk instead of smaller orders like 1-5 boxes.

Bundle Discounts
Inexperienced producers and suppliers often don’t realize how expansive the cannabis pre-roll vertical has become. In fact, to sell pre-roll joints you need machines to make them, as well as packaging and displays to sell them. By offering bundle discounts, quality suppliers allow you to cut down on spending for both materials and labor. We offer bundle discounts on our pre-roll machines, as well as our pre-roll packaging. For example, if you buy your pre-rolled cones, pop-top tubes, and labels from us - we will give you even deeper discounts than our standard volume discounts.

How Do Pricing Strategies Affect the Decision-Making Process for Buyers?

Since Custom Cones USA works across the United States and beyond, we’ve seen time and again how strategic pricing strategies boost the bottom line for cannabis companies. Especially if cannabis pre-rolls are one of your largest selling products, cutting costs is one of the most surefire ways to ensure profitability. We can guide you on the best packaging options, as well as best machines to help cut down costs, while producing high-quality pre-roll products.

What Compliance Laws Should Pre-Roll Suppliers and Buyers Be Aware of?

Whether your business operates in Florida or Washington, compliance is a very important issue in the cannabis industry. In any state market, cannabis products must undergo strict third-party testing for impurities like pesticides, molds, and heavy metals. In turn, pre-roll suppliers must follow this level of quality control and transparency with their products.

How Can Buyers Negotiate Favorable Terms with Pre-Roll Suppliers?

As seen with any other type of industry, staying organized can go a long way in negotiating favorable terms with pre-roll suppliers. For example, having all your artwork and information ready to go will dramatically cut down on lead times. In like fashion, knowing every detail of your order will streamline PO submissions and save time for your supply partner.

When you partner with a pre-roll supplier, it’s important that you nurture your relationship to build trust. Be sure to meet all deadlines and payment terms for a good while before asking for anything. Once a positive working relationship is established, you can have more room for renegotiating prices and asking for favors. 

Contact Custom Cones USA Today!

As industry experts, the team at Custom Cones USA will help you scale production and improve the efficiency of your cannabis business. We take great pride in customer service and measure the success of our business by the success of yours.

Contact us today to discuss all your pre-roll needs!