Less than two years ago, Fernway didn’t exist.

Now, the Massachusetts recreational cannabis vape brand is one of the more successful in the state. 

Founded in February 2021, the Northampton-based company’s meteoric rise came in what was the already crowded space of cannabis vaping products. At that time, the recreational space in Massachusetts was largely dominated by pre-existing medical marijuana companies, who were given a head start in licensing from the state. Many of these license holders were large, multi-state cannabis corporations who were seeking to launch cannabis vape brands that could become household names across the country. 

Despite this, Fernway has quickly become one of the most successful cannabis vape companies in the state, and was even named one of the top five cannabis brands in the nation to watch in 2022 by BDSA, a cannabis marketing research firm. 

Its co-founder and CMO Liam O’Brien attributes the company’s success to its culture. While O’Brien did not have any cannabis business experience before co-founding Fernway, he and the other original members of the company had plenty of experience as recreational cannabis consumers. Their focus on designing an experience for recreational cannabis users has helped them stand out among their competitors, and even get shelf space in stores owned by companies with their own line of vapes.

“The recreational focus of the company was something that was new to the space, and I think even a lot of the medical operators appreciated that,”  he said. “The fact that the company’s founders are consumers themselves plays a big role in shaping the culture.” 

Now that Fernway has captured a significant chunk of the market, they’re ready to tackle their next big project: Launching their own cannabis oil vaping device, dubbed the Traveler. 

The Traveler is available in both .3- and .7-gram sizes, and is designed to be a sleek and discrete device that fits easily in a purse or pocket. It is launching with multiple flavors, including mango — which is a brand new flavor for Fernway that is exclusive to the new device. 

Up until now, Fernway had been exclusively producing vape cartridges that are commonly known as 510 carts. Named for the size of the threading on the cartridges and the batteries that are made for them (10 threads at 0.5 mm per thread), this type of vape oil cart and battery combination is the most common currently in the cannabis space. 

There’s some obvious benefits to 510 carts. They can handle everything from pure cannabis distillate to thicker products like live resin, and come in a variety of sizes. The batteries themselves can also vary from small, discrete devices to larger devices that offer a longer battery life and more customization options.

However, the universality and interchangeability of 510 batteries and cartridges also contributes to their drawbacks. The power of 510 threaded batteries are not always optimized for the cartridge, and the quality of the cartridges can also differ widely, with cheaper technology often being more likely to malfunction. 

While many licensed operators such as Fernway use the best available cartridge technology and only produce additive-free formulas, the negative experiences and bad press caused by illicit market vapes (and poorly produced legal ones) can hurt the image of all 510 devices in the minds of consumers. 

510 carts are unlikely to disappear from the marketplace any time soon, but a number of operators in the cannabis vape space have begun to attempt to introduce their own proprietary devices to offer consumers an improved experience. 

But as Liam began to describe their new Traveler device, a sense of dread began to wash over me. It sounded like an interesting product, but I started to realize what he was describing as an “all-in-one” vape sounded awfully like a disposable vape.

Disposable vapes are a product where the vape battery and the cartridge holding the cannabis oil are a single, combined piece of hardware. The battery is typically not rechargeable, and the cartridge is not removable, as these devices — lithium ion battery and all — are designed to be thrown in the trash after all the oil is used up.

While these products are convenient, they can also be incredibly wasteful. Imagine, for example, an electric razor that had to be thrown away and replaced every time the blade went dull or the battery died.  

Luckily, there was a very specific reason that he was describing the Traveler as an all-in-one vape rather than a disposable: Fernway has partnered with GAIACA — one of the country’s first cannabis-specific waste management companies — to create a disposal program for their devices. This program received final approval from the Cannabis Control Commission just last week, and is the first such program in Massachusetts. 

Customers will be able to return their Traveler device (or any other Fernway-branded vape hardware that may be no longer working or needed) to the retailer they purchased it at, where it will be deposited into a specially marked container. The devices will then be disposed of by GAIACA in a process that minimizes environmental impact and allows for metals in the device to be reclaimed. 

Hopefully this initiative can put pressure on other cannabis companies to implement similar programs themselves, and encourage the industry to find new pathways to more sustainable operations. 

In addition to the redemption program, the Traveler also helps reduce waste in another way: It includes a recharging port, helping ensure that no oil goes to waste if the battery happens to run out while there’s still some oil in the tank. 

“It’s one of the more frustrating experiences to have when you’re using an all-in-one vape and the battery dies while there’s still oil left in the device,” said O’Brien, noting that the ability to recharge the battery would offer consumers more peace of mind. 

Asked what was next for the company, O’Brien didn’t get into specifics, but didn’t rule out expansion into other markets either. He noted that wherever they end up, maintaining the company’s current business attitude is key. 

“I think whatever states we end up operating in, we would bring the same sort of culture.”