I’ve been around long enough to know that a cool product does not always mean cool company.
Puffco is the most recognizable vaporizer brand in cannabis. They’ve built more than a product line. They’ve built a culture, a community, and an identity that extends far beyond the devices themselves.
Puffco started as a dab pen and grew their brand to be bigger than dabbing itself.
My perspective of Puffco has always come from the outside. I see the same product launches and marketing that the rest of the world sees. While I always respected the product, I was never a huge fan.
Puffcon 2026 changed that for me.
Not because of a new product. Not because of a flashy booth or some over-the-top activation. Not because I got to take dabs and smoke hash holes on a fucking Ferris Wheel. And not because a Puffco employee got me in hassle-free and hooked me up with free drinks and snacks.
It was because I got to see a little bit of what happens behind the scenes. And what I saw made an impression on me.
Behind the Scenes at Puffco and Puffcon
What stood out most was the employees.
They seemed genuinely happy to be there.
Not fake corporate happy. Not “the boss is nearby” happy. I’m talking REAL HAPPY. It’s hard to recognize, because it’s rare to see in a workplace. But I’m quite familiar.
People were hanging out together, joking around, helping each other, and clearly enjoying the environment they were working in. There was an energy in the office that felt more like a family than a workplace.
People seemed proud of what they were doing and happy to be doing it. Love and positivity was the vibe with every Puffco employee I met. They were all busting their asses in 102F Los Angeles heat and their faces expressed nothing but passion.
That matters to me. I came from a cushy .com job that understood something that a lot of businesses still completely miss:
Work shouldn’t suck.
Everyone has to work. Businesses can invest in employee happiness by creating a work culture where people actually enjoy being there, feel appreciated, and feel like they’re part of something. That has value far beyond free snacks and cool furniture. Happy employees care more, do better work, live better lives, contribute more to society. It’s a win-win-win-win.
Walking around Puffco reminded me of my time at the .com. It was inspiring to see such a great place to work still exists.
For the first time in the 9 years since I quit my job to do this, I felt that warm and fuzzy “fitting in” vibe – and I missed it. I missed working in such a magical environment around like-minded people with a mission.
They Actually Take Care of Their People
It wasn’t just the vibe.
There were little details everywhere that showed employees were being taken care of.
There was catered lunch. A loaded kitchen. Games around the office. Spaces designed for people to actually spend time together and decompress.
Even the bathroom caught my attention. The men’s room felt more like a nice spa locker room than an office bathroom. It had shaving gear and basically everything someone might need to clean up and make themselves presentable.
Now I know how Roger keeps his impeccable beard! And yes I trimmed up while there.
It may sound like “corporate bullshit”, but things like this prove that Puffco cares about their employees.
Puffco thinks about the employees and cared enough to make it better.
There are plenty of companies that spend millions making customers feel special while treating employees like disposable parts. Seeing the opposite firsthand changes how you look at a brand.
At least it did for me.
Puffco Has Built Its Own Culture
The biggest takeaway from Puffcon wasn’t really about Puffcon itself. It was realizing that Puffco has created its own culture.
There are companies that make products, and there are companies that become communities. Puffco seems to understand that distinction.
The passion I saw from employees carried over into the event. People weren’t just showing up for the free dabs. They were excited to be there. It was 103F outside and the turnout was bigger and happier than ever. Genuine enthusiasm is hard to manufacture and Puffco is breeding it from within.
You can hire an agency to create branding. You can buy advertising. You can throw a huge event.
But you can’t easily fake a room full of people who genuinely enjoy working together. That has to come from somewhere deeper.
And seeing that changed the way I think about Puffco.
Bringing the Fuji to Puffcon
Of course, I couldn’t go to Puffcon without bringing a couple dry herb vaporizers with me.
I had the Camouflet Fuji with me and ended up sharing it with a bunch of people throughout the weekend.
Puffcon is obviously a very concentrate-heavy environment, so pulling out a powerful dry herb vape created some great conversations. There are still plenty of people who haven’t experienced what modern high-performance flower vaporizers can do.
Watching people try the Fuji for the first time and seeing their reactions reminded me why I still love doing this. It was also great feedback for me to include on my Fuji Review. It was easy to share, but not as easy as the Frolic – which I also brought along.
A few people also tried the Frolic and absolutely loved it. I was reaching for the Fuji all day and only hit the Frolic once to demonstrate its potential.
The whole experience made Puffcon feel less like an industry event and more like a gathering of people who genuinely love the plant, the hash, and the community.
I Left Seeing Puffco Differently
I didn’t go into Puffcon expecting to have some profound change in how I viewed a company.
But I did.
Seeing happy employees matters.
Seeing people who are passionate about their jobs matters.
Seeing a company put real effort into creating a workplace people actually enjoy matters.
Work shouldn’t suck. Companies can make great products and still be miserable places to work.
After seeing a little bit of the culture behind Puffco, I came away with a different level of respect for the brand.
Puffcon was fun.
The people were great.
But the thing I’ll remember most is seeing what Puffco looks like when the cameras aren’t pointed at the products.
And I liked what I saw.
Puffcon LA is now a MUST ATTEND Event.
Visit Puffcon.com to plan it. See you there.
Transparency & Disclosure
Puffco did not sponsor this article or my visit.
Puffco has never paid me. I don’t have a Puffco affiliate deal.
I was invited by a friend who happens to be an employee – it was not a coordinated effort.
I got in for free and snagged a few snacks from their employee kitchen, and several dabs from jars of hash that were not mine.
