Nicotine pouches are becoming a more important part of the backbar mix. Why are they resonating with customers?

It’s the evolution of nicotine. When e-cigarettes hit the market, it was about ‘How do I get the feeling I got from cigarettes?’ It was about the nicotine factor and how it hits the body, which is why vapes did so well. 

The next evolution was the white powder nicotine pouch, and a lot of that is because the laws surrounding vapes were changed to where it became just like smoking. You can’t vape in the building, you can’t vape on an airplane, you can’t vape in a stadium at a baseball game. So, the evolution was, ‘Okay, how do I get my nicotine and not break the rules?’ That’s where you see the big shift to pouches. 

With pouches, consumers may be able to get their nicotine while sitting at their desk working or while sitting at a game. With JOEY^™ pouches, there is no spitting required; and it can be used anywhere.

That’s what has led to the growth of nicotine pouches. And they’re growing at a 30% CAGR. 

What differentiates JOEY from other synthetic nicotine pouches on the market? 

We offer a new technology in synthetic nicotine pouches. Our products have what we call flavorbeads technology. We take the nicotine and flavoring and put them into little orbs, which are designed to slowly release the flavor, with some consumers reporting that it may last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. At the same time, consumers will still feel the nicotine within the first five minutes, like other pouches. 

This is opposed to a white powder pouch that goes in your mouth, dry or moist, and just sits there. After five, 10 minutes, the flavor goes away. Consumers struggle with this a little bit. They want longer flavor. The benefit of using a JOEY pouch is that a consumer can get the lasting flavor without the need for multiple products. 

Who is your target demographic? What will bring them to the JOEY brand?

We’re not targeted, if you will, towards the male consumer. We’re targeted towards the adult nicotine consumer. 

Part of that nicotine consumer base is women. A common complaint from women consumers is ‘I don’t like the heavy mint. What am I going to use?’ 

With JOEY, we have 36 different flavors, all available in the 3 mg, 6 mg and 9 mg strengths. Our flavor profiles are all tailored for different palates—we have salty pineapple, we have orange sea salt and we have a latte flavor. We aren’t just differentiated with the flavorbeads technology. It’s the actual flavors as well.

What is the status of your products with the FDA?

All of our 108 SKUs are part of a PMTA submission timely filed in May 2022.  

When can retailers expect JOEY to come to the market?

We will be launching widely in the December/January timeframe, so we’ll start shipping to wholesale in late November, early December.

We will launch with what we call the “Core 20” flavors to start with, but we’ll have availability for other flavors in the months following the initial launch. 

What will merchandising look like? How will JOEY draw in new consumers in a region of the store that has historically been filled with brand loyalists?

First, we have an adjustable display case that can go on the counter to highlight the variety of the portfolio. We’re also working with retailers to create the typical point of sale, window, signs, pull banners and then loyalty programs. Then, we will start off with heavy promotions to get trial, so the consumer looking for the product, willing to switch, will have that opportunity to buy the product at a discounted price in the beginning.