Tobacco Business

[ 52 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ JANUARY / FEBRUARY | 22 ] landscape has forced many companies out of business—but not Fantasia. RJ proudly states that Fantasia is one of the few hookah brands left in the U.S. that manufactures its products within the country. RJ says he knows of many brands that ship in products from other countries or have components like flavors made overseas that they later repackage as their own. That’s not how Fantasia does it, and this is what sets it apart from other hookah brands and products on the market today. “In our plant, we start with the raw tobacco; that’s the first item we touch,” says RJ. “It gets cut and aged in barrels before we go to the mixing [process]. We have a full-on 100 percent manufacturing process: It’s all here in the U.S.A., which no other manufacturing plant or brand in the U.S.A. can actually claim. Our focus right now is to sustain those capabilities and that model so that we can truly be made in the U.S.A., as our packaging says.” RJ carefully points out that Fantasia isn’t trying to produce more than the next company. Instead, his business’s focus is on quality. “We’re not trying to be the one that’s in everybody’s face, or in everybody’s store or in everybody’s lounge. We’re just trying to maintain our quality of where we’re at now so that people understand that we do have a consistent product and something that you can be confident in.” It’s hard to choose one particular product as being Fantasia’s best- seller, RJ says, but Fantasia’s Ice Series is very popular among retailers and consumers. The Ice Series includes a wide range of flavors, from Ice Mint to Watermelon Ice to Fantasia’s signature flavors, such as Adios, Magic Dragon and Rainbow Burst. Confidence in Fantasia’s products, as well as its customer service, has helped the company remain active and competitive for over 15 years now. To help instill confidence in its products, Fantasia has a generous guarantee on its products. It will take back purchased products, no questions asked, making it a no-brainer for those who are curious about Fantasia and want to try its products with very little risk. “If you don’t like it, then we’ll give you your money back,” says RJ. “Just tell us what will make you happy. The last thing we want is somebody purchasing products from us being upset about their purchase, whether they didn’t like the flavor or the amount that they paid. We’d rather have you just try the product for free and be convinced and become a loyal customer of Fantasia and be part of our group.” All of the ingredients used to make Fantasia’s products come from a trusted source and are certified. The company uses certified glycerin and honey and flavoring from U.S. suppliers. Its tobacco leaf is purchased from Europe and contains a blend of a French and German tobacco leaf. While all of these ingredients may cost Fantasia more money, using these high-quality ingredients is key to Fantasia sustaining both the quality of its products and their production. Nothing is used in Fantasia’s products that isn’t inspected and put through a rigorous quality control process. This, in RJ’s opinion, is what gives Fantasia the competitive edge over many other hookah brands on the market today. Retailers can be confident in Fantasia due to its careful consideration and attention given to ingredients as well as its long business history. Since many of its products were already on the market prior to Feb. 15, 2007, Fantasia has products that are grandfathered and not subject to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process. Fantasia has also submitted