valitech.io their message unanswered for 19d

Jiwa (Victor Chempinsky) closed out the open question list this week and then hit a wall on price. On 9/21 he confirmed the cones cannot be supplied undyed (same colors as samples; a green blunt also exists), sent the papermill's ingredients/colorant PDF, and quoted EXW Vancouver at $0.44/unit for 30k and $0.40/unit for 50k. Packing info came with it but is internally inconsistent: he states 1 master case = 30,000 blunts (30 inner boxes x 100, foil packed) yet also says 30,000 blunts = 10 master cases and 51,000 = 17 master cases, at 14"x14"x16" and 11 lbs per case — implying ~3,000/case. Andrew pushed back on 9/22 asking what volume is needed to get under the client's Futurola price of $0.35/cone; Victor said Futurola buys 500k–1M at a time and it will be hard to beat, mentioned cheaper blunt papers exist but gave no numbers, and after Andrew noted the reply didn't answer the question, confirmed $0.44/$0.40 is final with no further volume discounts for a Futurola-comparable blunt. Heavy metals testing on the samples is still out, and the catalog we asked for in August still hasn't arrived. Ball is in our court: decide whether to keep pursuing Jiwa at a $0.05–0.09/unit premium or explore their cheaper paper options.

• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Victor confirmed cones cannot be produced undyed — color will match the samples; a green-colored blunt is also available.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Papermill ingredients/colorant PDF sent with 'available details the papermill is able to share'.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] EXW Vancouver pricing confirmed: 30,000 pcs at $0.44/unit, 50,000 pcs at $0.40/unit.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Packing data given: 30 inner boxes x 100 blunts, foil packed; master case 14"x14"x16", 11 lbs; 30,000 blunts = 10 master cases, 51,000 = 17 — contradicts his own '1 master case = 30,000 blunts' line.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] We disclosed the client's Futurola benchmark of $0.35/cone and asked what volume is required to beat it.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Victor: Futurola buys 500k–1M at a time; cheaper blunt papers exist as an option but no pricing or volume threshold offered.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] After we said the reply didn't answer our questions, Victor confirmed $0.44/$0.40 is his best and final — no additional volume discounts on a Futurola-comparable blunt.

• Jiwa confirmed cones cannot be produced undyed — color will match samples as supplied.
• Jiwa EXW Vancouver pricing fixed at $0.44/unit for 30,000 pcs and $0.40/unit for 50,000 pcs.
• Victor declared this pricing best and final — no additional volume discounts available on the Futurola-comparable blunt.

• Jiwa is $0.05–0.09/unit above the client's Futurola price of $0.35 and explicitly says it cannot close the gap, putting the whole Jiwa path at risk.
• Futurola's advantage is 500k–1M unit buys; our 30k–50k volumes will not unlock competitive pricing anywhere unless the client scales up or accepts a cheaper paper.
• Master case quantity / CBM figures are self-contradictory, so landed cost and freight cannot be calculated reliably.
• No undyed option means the client may reject the product on color/colorant grounds.
• Heavy metals test results on the samples are still outstanding — a failure would end the option regardless of price.
• Product catalog requested back in August still has not been provided.
• Victor deflects specifics (cheaper papers mentioned with no pricing or volume threshold), so responses may keep coming back non-substantive.

• we owe Response to Victor after he confirmed $0.44/$0.40 is final — whether we proceed, request cheaper paper options, or close out
• they owe Product catalog, and pricing/MOQ for the cheaper blunt paper alternatives Victor referenced
• they owe Clarification of the master case quantity / CBM contradiction (30,000 per case vs 10 cases per 30,000)

Quiet week on the Jiwa relationship — the only movement was Victor Chempinsky (Jiwa North America) following up on Sep 15 to ask whether we received the Sep 3 sample shipment (FedEx 876705723730, containing the 84/26 Camomile blunt paper blend and the 109/26 Acai Barry blend) and whether we had evaluated the samples. We have not replied. Our earlier asks are still outstanding on both sides: no product catalog, pricing or MOQ has come from Jiwa, and we still haven't asked whether the Camomile blunt paper blend can be run as cones. The ball is now clearly in our court for sample feedback.

• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Victor Chempinsky emailed Sep 15 asking whether the sample package (FedEx 876705723730) arrived and whether we had reviewed the 84/26 Camomile blunt paper blend and 109/26 Acai Barry blend.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] No response sent from our side this week; sample evaluation still not communicated.
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Catalog, pricing and MOQ requested back on Aug 28 remain unprovided.

• Two weeks after shipment we still haven't confirmed receipt or evaluated the samples — silence on our side risks cooling a supplier that is actively engaged.
• Core requirement (chamomile tea leaf cones) is still unmet: Jiwa does not offer chamomile paper cones, and we haven't confirmed whether the Camomile blunt blend can be converted to cone format.
• No catalog, pricing or MOQ from Jiwa yet, so the alternative-paper decision (wood/hemp options) cannot be costed.

• we owe Confirming receipt of the FedEx sample package and giving Victor feedback on the Camomile blunt and Acai Barry blend samples
• they owe Product catalog plus pricing and MOQ for Jiwa's cone/blunt paper options

Movement was quick on the Jiwa sample loop. Victor Chempinsky (Director of Product, Jiwa North America) asked for our delivery address on Aug 31; Andrew sent the Monarch Packaging address (572 W Broad St, PMB147, Hazleton, PA 18201) the same day, and by Sep 3 Victor shipped the sample package with FedEx tracking 876705723730. Notably, the shipment includes a foil box of 84/26 size in a Camomile blunt paper blend — despite Jiwa's earlier statement that they don't offer chamomile tea leaf paper — plus a 109/26 foil box of their new Acai Barry blunt paper blend. No catalog was mentioned in the shipment and no pricing/MOQ has been discussed yet. Next step on us: receive and evaluate the samples, and determine whether the camomile blend can be produced in cone format for the project.

• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Victor Chempinsky requested our full delivery address on Aug 31 to arrange blunt and cone samples
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] We sent the delivery address the same day: MONARCH PACKAGING Ltd, 572 W Broad St, PMB147, Hazleton, PA 18201
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Samples shipped Sep 3 with FedEx tracking 876705723730
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] Sample contents: foil box 84/26 size in Camomile blunt paper blend, and foil box 109/26 size in Jiwa's new Acai Barry blunt paper blend
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] A camomile paper blend does appear to exist (as a blunt), contradicting the earlier 'no chamomile tea leaf paper' response — worth clarifying for cone format
• [Chamomile tea leaf cones – Jiwa sourcing] No catalog was referenced in the shipment confirmation, and no prices or MOQs have been quoted yet

• Contradiction between Jiwa's statement that chamomile tea leaf paper is unavailable and the shipped Camomile blunt paper blend — cone feasibility for the required material remains unconfirmed
• Catalog still not provided, limiting our ability to assess Jiwa's full product range
• No pricing, MOQ, or lead times discussed yet, so commercial viability is unknown
• Samples so far are blunt formats (84/26, 109/26); our project needs cones, so the samples may not fully answer the sourcing question

• they owe Product catalog (and pricing/MOQ) — requested Aug 28 but not included in the Sep 3 sample shipment note
• we owe Feedback to Victor once samples arrive, including whether the camomile/alternative papers fit the project and whether the camomile blend can be made in cone format