The Business Behind Pre-Rolls: What Cannabis Operators Can Learn About Manufacturing, Inventory and Costs

The cannabis industry’s fastest-growing product category isn’t flower. It isn’t concentrates either. It’s pre-rolls. Yet while operators closely track consumer demand, relatively little attention is paid to the companies supplying the papers, cones and manufacturing systems that make those products possible.

That may be a mistake.

As cannabis businesses race to improve margins, reduce costs and scale production, many of the operational challenges they face are the same ones confronting suppliers. Manufacturing discipline, inventory management, quality systems and supply-chain resilience are becoming competitive advantages across the industry, regardless of whether a company ever touches the plant.

Thomas Breakell, Director of Operations at Blazy Susan, believes those principles have shaped the company’s growth from a Denver startup selling rolling trays into one of the industry’s most recognizable pre-roll accessory brands. During a conversation with IgniteIt, he shared lessons that extend well beyond cones and rolling papers.

Manufacturing Close to Customers Isn’t Just About Geography

As more industries reconsider global supply chains, Blazy Susan has doubled down on domestic manufacturing.

For Breakell, the decision isn’t ideological. It’s operational.

The company’s new manufacturing facility in Denver is designed to shorten lead times, improve quality control and respond faster to changing customer demand. In a category where retailers and distributors can suddenly shift toward a different SKU or product format, flexibility matters as much as production capacity.

“People are still figuring out what they like,” Breakell said. “The ability for us to change SKU mix at the drop of a hat… is key.”

Domestic manufacturing also reduces one of the industry’s least discussed risks: transportation.

“Cones and papers for the most part are all made overseas somewhere, and your biggest hazard is putting those on the water,” he said. Manufacturing closer to customers allows the company to “own the quality, own the capacity in short-term planning, and really let us react much faster to service demand.”

For cannabis operators, the lesson extends beyond pre-rolls. Whether sourcing jars, vape hardware, packaging or cultivation inputs, shorter supply chains increasingly mean faster inventory turns, fewer disruptions and greater operational control.

Scale Starts With Systems, Not Equipment

Many companies think scaling means adding more employees or buying more machines.

Breakell sees it differently.

Long before capacity increases, businesses need systems capable of producing consistent outcomes regardless of who is working on the production floor.

That philosophy drove Blazy Susan’s pursuit of ISO 9001 and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification, not as a marketing exercise but as an operational framework.

“The goal with these systems is that your process and your quality is not reliant on any individual heroics,” Breakell said. “The goal with these systems is that every shift is an A shift.”

Instead of relying on institutional memory or experienced employees to solve problems, documented processes allow organizations to reproduce quality consistently while identifying and correcting issues before they become expensive failures.

For operators managing cultivation facilities, extraction labs, or manufacturing lines, repeatability often determines profitability.

Documentation Should Reduce Risk, Not Create Bureaucracy

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding GMP is that compliance requires overwhelming amounts of paperwork.

Breakell argues the opposite.

The challenge isn’t documenting everything. It’s designing documentation that employees will actually use.

“How do we cover everything we want without creating this massive burden on the operations teams?” he said. Excessively complicated systems eventually become operational risks because employees stop following them consistently.

Instead, documentation should function as an operating manual for the business.

“If you cannot do the job from the documentation you have right now… you’re not quite ready,” Breakell said, describing GMP as a system built around record keeping, site maintenance and repeatable operating procedures rather than regulatory complexity alone.

GMP May Be Closer Than Operators Think

For companies considering certification, Breakell believes the process is often less intimidating than expected.

He recommends beginning with experienced consultants, but says many cannabis businesses already have much of the required infrastructure in place.

“I bet you today, most of the really good operators are probably at least 50% compliant as they stand,” he said. “People have a massive fear of this because of both the language.”

Looking ahead, he expects GMP and ISO standards to become increasingly important as cannabis matures and federal oversight expands.

“I believe it will become a competitive necessity,” Breakell said. “People are losing money not having these systems in place and not even realizing it.”

Distribution Opens the Door. Execution Drives Sales.

Securing national distribution is only the beginning.

Blazy Susan recently obtained a Core-Mark vendor number, opening access to one of the country’s largest convenience store distribution networks. But Breakell says distribution alone doesn’t guarantee commercial success.

Shelf visibility matters.

“If we can get our products front and center or displayed, your sell-through numbers make a world of difference,” he said.

That philosophy extends beyond traditional sales. The company combines retailer support, experiential marketing, social media campaigns and merchandising solutions designed to maximize limited shelf space in convenience stores and bodegas.

For cannabis brands, the takeaway is familiar: landing distribution gets products into stores. Thoughtful merchandising, retailer support and consumer visibility determine whether those products leave the shelf.

Operational Excellence Is Becoming the Industry’s Next Competitive Advantage

Cannabis businesses often look for competitive advantages in genetics, branding or product innovation.

Breakell believes many of tomorrow’s winners will instead distinguish themselves through operational excellence.

Manufacturing systems that reduce dependence on individual employees. Documentation that allows businesses to scale consistently. Supply chains capable of responding quickly to changing demand. Quality systems that prevent problems before they occur.

Those principles apply whether a company manufactures pre-roll cones or finished cannabis products.

The conversations shaping cannabis are no longer limited to cultivation techniques or retail strategy. Increasingly, they’re centered on manufacturing systems, supply-chain resilience, quality standards and the operational discipline required to build businesses that can scale. Those are exactly the topics that will take center stage at IgniteIt’s Denver event on September 18, where operators, manufacturers, investors and industry leaders will come together to share practical lessons from the front lines of the industry.

For businesses looking to improve efficiency, strengthen operations and prepare for the next phase of cannabis, it’s an opportunity to learn directly from the people building the infrastructure behind the market.