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Alana Biffert works on creating a bong in Calgary, Alta. (Dave Dormer/Western Buzz)
made in canada

Canadian glass artists need support to thrive amid flood of imported pipes and bongs

Mar 29, 2023 | 7:00 AM

Just as there is an existential battle playing out in the retail cannabis market between the desire of Canadians to buy from licensed dispensaries and them wanting to continue paying black market prices, a similar pricing skirmish is simmering when it comes to glassware like pipes and bongs.

Consumers want to buy large, ornate and handcrafted pieces, but a flood of cheap, imported products in recent years has conditioned them to paying bargain-basement prices. That’s making it extremely difficult for Canadian glass artists to compete.

Alana Biffert, the owner and artisan behind WhirlClass Glass, based in Calgary, Alta., has been creating glassware for the last 20 years. She’s also been a consumer of cannabis throughout that time and, along with creating commissioned pieces that pay the bills, she also makes intricate pipes and bongs.

Once legalization happened in 2018, Biffert — and many other artists — began dedicating more time and effort pursing the once-underground side of the market. But, within a year, she started noticing what was once a trickle of ‘Made in China’ glassware soon became a torrent.

“It’s hard as a glass blower to make ends meet,” she said. “It’s really hard as a paraphernalia maker now to make ends meet because when I bring something to (a head shop or dispensary), everything I bring they end up selling, but I only end up getting, basically, my costs back on it.”

“It sits around if I price it where I’m making my money back, and it has a lot of do with the fact there is a lot of this manufactured glass coming out of China that really undercuts.”

Glass blowing, when it is heated in a furnace then spun while air is blown to expand it, is used to make larger pieces like bongs while torch work is used to create smaller pieces like pipes.

A finished bong made by Alana Biffert of Whirlclass Glass. (Submitted photo/Alana Biffert)

Biffert explained there is no glass manufacturer in Canada. Instead, the borosilicate tubes used to create products like pipes and bongs have to be imported with China and the United States being the two main exporters. The difference in price can be stark.

Glass tubes ordered from the U.S. can cost $60 each, whereas a case of 60 glass tubes can be ordered from China for $200. That breaks down to just over $3 each and can mean the difference between making a profit and producing items at a loss, Biffert said.

“You have to import your materials, you have to pay for shipping the material and border fees, then you have to pay for all of your tools, your setup, your electricity, your gas, and then your time,” she said.

“And they want it all for a couple dollars a piece, which is really heartbreaking, it really is.”

Jen Meyers, CEO of Zelca, a licensed cannabis micro-processor that currently produces the Manna line of edible products, is also a long-time glass blower, She graduated from Alberta College of Art and Design (now Alberta University of the Arts) in the early 2000s, along with Biffert.

Glass artists Alana Biffert, left, and Jen Meyers work to create a piece in Calgary, Alta. The pair say a flood of imported products in recent years makes it tough for Canadians to compete. (Dave Dormer/Western Buzz)

“It’s so frustrating,” she said of seeing cheap products flood the market. “[Paying] $40 doesn’t cover 20 years (of experience). Glass blowing is a trade, it’s a craft, a tradition, a skill-set. We both went to school for four or five years. I have apprenticed for people.”

The only real way for Canadian artists to compete, Biffert said, is for consumers to support local producers.

“Find [stores] who support art making,” she said.

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