It started with a cold call.
What was this about an automated pre-roll machine that could do Dutch Crown folds? And how many joints per hour?
For Taylor Balduff, owner/founder at Forbidden Farms in Washington State, the timing was perfect because he was on the market for an automated blunt machine and needed a reliable solution.
At the end of the cold call, Balduff invited Hefestus to email him a video of the machine in action.
“I was pretty blown away,” Balduff recalls. “We scheduled a conference call, and three days later I was on a plane to check this machine out. At the time, I don’t think there was anything comparable to it on the market.”
That was back in 2017. Fast forward to today, and Balduff reveals that he just purchased his second machine – an AuraX – from Hefestus.
“I absolutely love it. They’ve obviously made a lot of improvements from that first model, and although it’s great and we still use it daily, the new generation is even better than their original machine,” Balduff says, adding that Hefestus is also upgrading his first machine to the standards of the current model.
Check out the AuraX in action:
Before and After Hefestus
Before switching over to pre-roll automation, Balduff’s team was producing pre-rolls manually with spring-loaded bouncing hand boxes. “We had bunches of those, and it was so labor-intensive to have the team roll joints that way,” he says.
With manual method, a single operator could produce roughly 100 to 120 joints per hour, Balduff explains. “And now with the Hefestus machine set to one-gram pre-rolls, we float right around 1000 to 1100 per hour.”
“It reduces the labor so much, and it’s not just about saving on costs, the team members are also happier, and it’s just all around so much better than hand-rolling.”
And the quality of the pre-rolls coming out of the machine is great, too, Balduff says. “It’s got a strong neck on it from the base of the crutch,” he says.
A 90 Percent Reduction in Labor Costs
With that first Aura machine from Hefestus, Forbidden Farms was doing about 300,000 pre-rolls per month. And now that they’re bringing the second machine in, Balduff expects to double that number.
They’re even producing pre-rolls for four or five other licensed operators in the state.
But what has all this meant for the actual cost of labor in Balduff’s pre-roll production?
Like any great founder/owner, he starts crunching rough numbers on the spot.
“Let’s say I’ve got a $20-an-hour person rolling 100 joints an hour. My labor alone is 20 cents per pre-roll. Right? Now put that same operator on the machine, and I’m doing 1000 pre-rolls per hour, my cost of labor has dropped to two cents per pre-roll.”
In an industry with such tight margins, this 90% reduction in labor costs is a massive boost – if you need to produce pre-rolls at scale.
“It Doesn’t Break”
When Balduff is asked about his favorite part of the Aura industrial pre-roll machine, he doesn’t mince words.
“It doesn’t break,” he says. “We’re not constantly having to work on it, and there’s not a bunch of parts to lube.”
Keep it clean and wiped down, and it runs, Balduff continues, emphasizing he’s had very little downtime with the Hefestus machine.
“There are so many other companies I know that have other brands of different joint machines, and they’re constantly working on them, constant downtime. And I mean, what that does to the ROI is crazy,” Balduff notes.
Frankly, operators can’t afford those types of headaches.
“Anybody who thinks the cannabis sector is making money hand over fist is wrong,” Balduff continues. “Margins are tight, it’s ultra-competitive, and anything you can do to drive down your cost of production is going to help ensure your business makes it through what I call cannabis 3.0 right now.”
24/7 Support & Minimal Downtime
“Jessie is our support rep, and he also came out for the commissioning of this new machine – an absolute pleasure to work with, always quick on getting back to us,” Balduff says.
“We haven’t had to use Hefestus’s customer support too much because the machine has been so reliable, but we’re about ready to hit four million joints rolled on that first machine and things are going to wear out here and there.”
Replacing parts on the machine is quick and easy, Balduff adds.
“Hefestus gave us a list of parts they see some wear and tear on, so we keep extras laying around. And if something does go down, it’s quick, simple, and half an hour later, we’re back up and running.
“All in all, I’ve been incredibly impressed with the machine and its reliability.”
Price Point Comparisons
Simplicity, reliability, and versatility – if Hefestus is so much further advanced than its competition, does that translate to a higher price point as well?
Balduff has done some homework here.
“Hefestus has a very comparable price point, if not a little bit more on the affordable side than what you see with a lot of these great big old machines,” he says.
“I just look at some of those other machines out there, and there’s so many moving parts and everything else, those things have got to be just a maintenance nightmare.”
Here Balduff also reiterates on the struggles he’s seen his competitors have with other pre-roll automation options on the market.
“I can’t tell you how many companies I work with that have a joint machine that they don’t use, because of how often it breaks, and they can’t ever get it to function, right? It’s a very common thing in this industry.”
Overall Impressions?
As a Hefestus customer since 2017 and having just bought his second machine, what does Balduff have to say about his overall impressions?
“They’re super responsive and very willing to make sure you have what you need, shipping parts out quickly when need be. Easy to get a hold of, fast reply times. All in all, just incredibly great to work with,” Balduff says, joking that he’d recommend Hefestus to anyone except his competitors.
“I couldn’t ask for a better partner in pre-roll machines than what Hefestus has been.”
