Getting Prilla to the place it is today took an entire team and a whole lot of hard work. But while the efforts of everyone involved deserve to be recognized, there’s one person in particular who can take a lot of credit: Per Deshayes. As Head of Operations, he has the considerable responsibility of making sure orders are fulfilled, supply chains are operating smoothly, and customers are getting a great experience.
We caught up with him to discuss the past, present, and future of nicotine pouches, along with some insider insights into what it’s like operating a nicotine pouch retailer.
Per Deshayes Profile
- Current location: Houston, Texas
- 2021-present: Head of Operations at Prilla
- 2005-2010: CMO of ThemeParkGroup Aps (Spanish amusement park project)
- 2003-2005: CEO of Multipoker (poker website)
- 1998-2003: CEO of Taj-Mahal AB (distributor of gaming and amusement machines, based in Sweden )
What did your Swedish roots teach you about nicotine pouches, and how has that influenced Prilla?
While I’m based in Texas now, I was born in Sweden, the home of snus — and when it comes to nicotine pouches, everything comes back to snus. For those who don’t know, snus is a smokeless tobacco product that dates back to 1700s Sweden. It’s a key part of our cultural heritage! Snus was originally a powder, and it then morphed into a portion format that users place in their mouth. If you’re thinking that sounds a bit like nicotine pouches, that’s precisely the point. The EU banned snus in 1992, with an exception for Sweden. Years later, nicotine pouches emerged.
Since snus is so popular in Sweden, the idea of a tobacco-free alternative naturally got my attention. Also, Sweden has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, to the point where it’s practically a smoke-free nation. So I was well aware of the role of oral nicotine products in providing an alternative to smoking.
Knowing about nicotine pouches before the rest of the US gave Prilla a definite edge. It meant we were thinking about selling them here before most others, and it also gave us a “sneak peak” into how they’d evolve. There are more taste profiles in Europe than in the US (although it’s gradually catching up), the US market has woken up to the wonders of moist pouches recently, and nicotine-free pouches are now starting to head across the Atlantic. As Swedes, we were aware of these innovations ahead of time, and we’veve used that to our advantage! I’m proud of how we’ve been able to stay on the cutting edge, and I love adding exciting new products.
You had experience managing other businesses before you joined Prilla. Can you tell us about how the nicotine pouch industry compares with other markets?
Almost three decades ago, I was the CEO of a distributor, importer, and vendor of gaming and amusement machines. So I learned the ropes of logistics before ecommerce was even established. The skills I learned have turned out to be pretty invaluable given the supply chain turbulence over the last few years in the nicotine pouch market. Some people assume the role is all about looking at forecasting and inventory spreadsheets, but it’s also about developing great relationships with suppliers so that when times get tough, you’re not at the bottom of their list. That goes for any sector. I also have experience managing online sites offering digital gaming, and I’ve been a serial entrepreneur launching various projects of my own in this space. Prilla gave me the opportunity to pull my experience in supply chain and websits together!
But there was a lot to learn when I entered the nicotine pouch industry. Nothing could quite prepare me for the amount of regulation in this sector and the pace of change. Some days you wake up and discover that a state is passing a new law that doubles taxes or bans all flavors. Suddenly, we have to change the whole site, amend our shipping processes, and communicate everything to customers.
I’m glad regulations are in place so we can help to protect public health, and I’m proud to work for a site that keeps up with them so carefully. It's a big part of Prilla’s success — we keep up with changes, and we’re quick to act.
Why do you think it was nicotine pouches that achieved global popularity and not Swedish snus?
A lot of Swedes ask themselves that question! Over here, some people get elitist about nicotine pouches as they see them as a poor substitution for snus, but snus has never achieved anything other than niche appeal in the US. Sometimes, I wonder if it was a bit of a freak accident that nicotine pouches took off the way they did. As I mentioned before, snus has been around for hundreds of years, and “white snus” or nicotine pouches first launched in the 2000s. But there was never any real traction in the US until around 2019, which just so happened to be the time of COVID.
During the lockdown, ZYN started getting talked about a lot on TikTok, and it was mentioned by popular figures like Joe Rogan. Since people were spending all their time at home, there was a bigger audience than ever consuming content.
Plus, the pandemic served as a stark reminder about the effect of smoking on the lungs, and many people tried to quit. Nicotine pouches were more mask-friendly than cigarettes and easier to order online — and since they were already getting talked about, they were a natural go-to for anyone seeking an alternative.
Who knows, maybe snus could have been just as popular with the right conditions. But it’s well-known that Americans care about their pearly whites, so maybe a tobacco-free option like nicotine pouches was always going to be a better fit.
What did you initially think of nicotine pouches, and were you right?
As I touched on earlier, nicotine pouches first came onto my radar when they emerged as an alternative to snus after it was banned in the EU. At first, it was known as white snus, and was a little different to the nicotine pouches that are dominating the US market today.
To be honest, I never saw it catching on here in Europe in a big way. Swedes are very particular about tobacco snus, and for a long time, there was a stigma against nicotine pouches — they were actually seen as a female product, which might sound bizarre to Americans who associate them with the manosphere! That being said, any Swede living in another EU country had no other option. So I just assumed they’d have a niche place on the market. I certainly never expected nicotine pouches to catch on in the US across the whole world the way they have.
The space has changed a lot since you first launched Prilla. What surprised you the most?
In the early days of Prilla, mint and tobacco-inspired flavors were all the rage. Since these are traditional snus flavors, the same preferences carried across to nicotine pouches at first. While mint flavors definitely still have a chokehold on Prilla customers, we’re seeing the market starting to branch out. We stock all kinds of taste profiles on Prilla now, including fruity options, coffee, and cinnamon — sometimes, these even make it onto our bestsellers list. Another one is that we had just a handful of brands when we first launched Prilla, and now there are dozens. I love seeing new brands getting added to the site, it shows how much innovation there is.
I’ve been most surprised by how ZYN-centric the market became. In Europe, VELO is the market leader, but it doesn’t have a hold on people quite like ZYN does in the US. Over here, the average nicotine pouch enthusiast could probably name at least half a dozen brands other than VELO. But in the US, there are plenty of heavy ZYN users that aren’t even familiar with the term “nicotine pouch” — as far as they’re concerned, a ZYN is a ZYN and not a brand of nicotine pouches, kind of like Cola is just Cola. Any brand with a name that starts with “z” seems to have an edge in the market here for this reason.
I suspect this is starting to change now, but for me as a Swede, it’s been surprising and somewhat bemusing to see the market evolve in this way.
What is the most difficult thing about being a nicotine pouch retailer? How have you managed to overcome these challenges at Prilla?
It might sound counterintuitive, but another major hurdle is that the market is growing so fast. It might sound like a dream, but it makes the supply chain complicated. It’s hard to keep everything in stock when demand is rising faster than supply can handle, and there’s no way to reliably predict if a brand or product will suddenly balloon in popularity.
The ZYN shortage is the perfect example — suddenly, so many people wanted ZYN that the factories couldn’t produce enough of it and the shelves went empty across the country.
At Prilla, we prioritized supplier relationships from the start, which has helped us to keep everything in stock where possible. We can’t magically source a product if there’s no supply of it, but we do maintain communication with all levels of the supply chain. That way, we can at least make plans accordingly and keep our customers informed, which is what we did during the ZYN shortage.
Prilla sells other nicotine alternatives, like nicotine lozenges and gum. Is there any other tobacco-free product you can see replacing nicotine pouches in the future?
At this point, it’s hard to see the other products overtaking nicotine pouches as the most popular tobacco-free choice in the US. Nicotine pouches have now practically hit mainstream acceptance, so they’re going to be the first thing people think of when they want an alternative to smoking or a tobacco-free option.
Other products definitely have their place as niche options. Take nicotine gum — health professionals sometimes prescribe it to people who are trying to quit smoking. There will always be a few groups of people that nicotine pouches aren’t right for, too. For instance, some people want a nicotine product they can use without anyone noticing, making things like nicotine capsules and nicotine lozenges a practical option.
I don’t see any of the existing nicotine products ever becoming mainstream nicotine alternatives. But never say never, because the more popular nicotine pouches become, the more regulations are likely to come in to limit them. That leaves a gap in the market for the next big thing, whether it’s an existing option like nicotine capsules or something that we haven’t even heard of yet.
What about nicotine-free options. Do you see this as a growing market?
Over in Sweden, nicotine–free pouches are a very established segment at this point. Lots of brands offer both nicotine and nicotine-free versions of the same products here, so they offer a lot of familiarity and the same ritual. While they haven’t yet taken off in the same way in the US, I suspect things won’t stay that way forever. I’m watching caffeine pouches particularly closely. Since they use caffeine, they offer a “rush” that’s somewhat comparable to nicotine, even if it's not exactly the same sensation.
We’re also hoping to add them to Prilla soon so watch this space.
Everyone knows about the likes of ZYN and VELO. But is there any “underdog” brand in particular that you have your eye on?
Among all the brands we stock on Prilla, I’d like to see LUCY pouches get more recognition. It’s actually one of the older brands on our site, and its nicotine pouches were launched in 2020, but it hasn’t had quite as much traction as others. I think this is a real shame, because it’s one of the most innovative brands we have. LUCY Breakers come with moisture capsules that let users customize their experience by biting down whenever they want more intensity.
I also have a soft spot for LUCY since it’s one of the few pouch companies with a small local team. Its founders come from Soylent and are now based in LA.
Now a fun one to round things off. Is there any nicotine pouch flavor that you never expected to taste good or be popular among customers, but which took you by surprise?
That would have to be zone Dragonfruit. I was skeptical when I saw it was being added as I thought it was going to be a novelty product. But it’s getting great reviews and seems like it will stick around.
