ANIMAL
Image via ANIMAL
Words by Joseph Genest
Words by Joseph Genest
For the majority of cannabis consumers, the manufacturing of their favorite vapes and prerolls is an afterthought.
“Most people don’t think about how a product is made and how that impacts the quality,” says Jeremy Green, cofounder of ANIMAL, a cannabis brand created by Green’s manufacturing company Final Bell.
“If you go buy a box of cereal, you don’t think about the machinery to form the cereal or how they get it in a sealed bag, then a box. Most consumer industries are pretty mature, where cannabis is one of the most challenging manufacturing environments because of how fragmented state-to-state regulations are.”
“Most people don’t think about how a product is made and how that impacts the quality,” says Jeremy Green, cofounder of ANIMAL, a cannabis brand created by Green’s manufacturing company Final Bell.
“If you go buy a box of cereal, you don’t think about the machinery to form the cereal or how they get it in a sealed bag, then a box. Most consumer industries are pretty mature, where cannabis is one of the most challenging manufacturing environments because of how fragmented state-to-state regulations are.”
As cannabis legalization grows, creating a consistent, high-quality product for varying markets is a big reason why ANIMAL came to fruition.
After getting his start in electronic manufacturing, Green noticed how trendy e-cigarettes and vaping had become. Stating that many of the models they’d see on the street had “too many parts (that were) as cheap as possible”, he and his co-founders saw an opportunity in the market others hadn’t tackled yet, launching Final Bell.
Green decided to spend the next year and a half traveling around to states with legal cannabis, studying processes like extraction. The team now does custom hardware and packaging for brands like Cookies, Sherbinskis, and others.
After getting his start in electronic manufacturing, Green noticed how trendy e-cigarettes and vaping had become. Stating that many of the models they’d see on the street had “too many parts (that were) as cheap as possible”, he and his co-founders saw an opportunity in the market others hadn’t tackled yet, launching Final Bell.
Green decided to spend the next year and a half traveling around to states with legal cannabis, studying processes like extraction. The team now does custom hardware and packaging for brands like Cookies, Sherbinskis, and others.
“The way cannabis is structured, it doesn’t allow for premium products to differentiate themselves from a price point perspective,” notes Green, adding that the packaging and product separate a luxury good from the rest of the pack.
For ANIMAL, the inspiration was “quality of input materials, strains, hardware, and packaging,” all compiled into a lineup that customers could look at as a benchmark. “The quality of the brand has to communicate itself,” says Green.
For ANIMAL, the inspiration was “quality of input materials, strains, hardware, and packaging,” all compiled into a lineup that customers could look at as a benchmark. “The quality of the brand has to communicate itself,” says Green.
Currently hosting pre-rolls and vapes, the brand’s lineup is mostly handheld items that stem from Final Bell’s extensive background in vaping. For curation, Green prides ANIMAL on strain diversity, highlighting a balance between classic strains (like SFV OG, NY Diesel, and Durban Poison), as well as more flavor-forward varieties vape culture appreciates (like Blueberry Pie and Apple Pop). Green notes that ANIMAL will always have a limited run of products to focus on quality, shying away from “putting out 15-30 different flavors”.
As ANIMAL expands, Green says this holistic approach to a quality brand is partly for education. After working in cannabis at other brands, he learned that the product itself is what’s going to teach people the most about process and quality. Highlighting the aspects of cannabis that go beyond THC, CBD, and terpenes, Green says that having great hardware and materials is the other half of the battle.
“When you’re making an infused pre-roll that’s very heavy potency, it’s great to have all that in there but if it looks sloppy and the paper’s all spotted, it’s not great. Consumers want everything,” says Green, explaining that even though many companies deliver high-potency products, the details separate the experience.
As ANIMAL expands, Green says this holistic approach to a quality brand is partly for education. After working in cannabis at other brands, he learned that the product itself is what’s going to teach people the most about process and quality. Highlighting the aspects of cannabis that go beyond THC, CBD, and terpenes, Green says that having great hardware and materials is the other half of the battle.
“When you’re making an infused pre-roll that’s very heavy potency, it’s great to have all that in there but if it looks sloppy and the paper’s all spotted, it’s not great. Consumers want everything,” says Green, explaining that even though many companies deliver high-potency products, the details separate the experience.
“Every brand has a set of expectations. When you buy a Coca-Cola at a store in San Fransisco or Miami, it’s going to be the same. In order to build a brand with long-term success, you need consistency in manufacturing behind the product.”
Currently available in Canada, New York, and California, Green’s hope is for ANIMAL to be one of the most consistent top-quality brands, eventually setting the standard for cannabis across the board.
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