ProCigar 2011: Beyond the cigars

Friday, February 18 2011

By Gary Korb

Cigars and the ideal surroundings for enjoying them were in full bloom last week when I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 ProCigar Festival in Santiago, The Dominican Republic. This was my first ProCigar Festival, as well as my first visit to the DR. Not only was I impressed with the way the event was organized (big kudos to ProCigar Director, Catherine Llibre and her team), but I also had a chance to meet people from every corner of the industry. What follows are some of the things I took away from the experience.

The People
If I had to describe the ProCigar Festival I'd say it's like a combination of the IPCPR Trade show and The Big Smoke, in that, this is one venue where manufacturers, retailers, and consumers get to rub shoulders and learn from each other's respective experiences. I would also add that if you're an avid cigar smoker, you should make it a  point to attend at least one ProCigar Festival during your lifetime.

Daily field trips were planned for the ProCigar guests. These trips included touring the cigar factories, the tobacco fields, participating in tobacco tasting seminars, etc. Since I was traveling with my colleagues from Famous Smoke Shop - Arthur Zaretsky, Humberto Gonzalez, and Jeff Brown - we visited many of the same factories. Moreover, I was able to spend some quality time with such cigar makers as Manuel Quesada, Guillermo Leon, Jose Blanco, Abe Flores, Augusto Reyes, Jose Arnoldo "Hoche" Blanco, Daniel Nuñez, Modesta Fondeur, and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo among others, including rising star tobacco broker, Damien Bischoff.

Some of the people staying with us at the Camp David Ranch hotel were Pete Johnson, Janny Garcia, Berta "The Guayabera Lady" Bravo, Cigar Press publisher, Thor Nielsen, Jonathan Drew, Glynn Loope and Brian Berman of CRA, William C. Paley of La Palina Cigars, and Michael Herklots, manager of the Davidoff cigar stores in New York City. Michael was also the acting "tour manager" for the group at Camp David. Frankly, this story would not be complete without noting that Michael was the perfect host, keeping everyone well-informed and organized.

The Manufacturers
As I noted above, a big part of the trip was meeting with many of the top Dominican cigar manufacturers. One of the topics that often came up was how the cigar business has grown since the cigar boom, and more specifically, how the advent of Cigar Aficionado magazine in 1992 basically turned the entire industry on its head almost overnight. Arthur, who was working at Famous Smoke Shop's previous location in New York City at that time noted that cigars that were selling for $1.80 apiece were suddenly selling for twice that and more.

During our conversation with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo at his E.P.C. Cigars factory, he said that the industry "was never meant to get this big." Carrillo, who approaches his company from an aesthetic standpoint added that cigars "are an art form." He also felt the industry was returning a little to when premium cigars were made in more limited quantities. He cited La Flor Dominicana and Padron cigars as good examples of this philosophy, to which E.P.C. also subscribes. "Cigar smokers are much more educated today," said Carrillo.

On the subject of private labels, or brands that are made by top manufacturers expressly for online mail-order cigar retailers, Carrillo believes that it "hurts the brand" when a major brand's cigars are sold as private labels. This led to a debate that is perhaps better suited for another article altogether.

Another topic that arose was the increase in cigars coming from Nicaragua. Although The Dominican Republic still leads Central America in exports, Nicaragua's lower labor costs and high quality cigars have taken a significant bite out of the DR's lunch.

The Retailers
Major league cigar retailers like Famous are often viewed as anathema by brick & mortar cigar stores. Yet, most of the retail store owners I spoke to during the festival were extremely affable. Although there is a considerable gap between online retailers and those who sell cigars from behind a counter, I did find one big common denominator - customer service. The cigar stores that have their patrons' best interests in mind are also the most successful. Additionally, they're more creative in the way they promote themselves. One retailer is a sponsor of the Bourbon, Cigars and Jazz event at the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Another told me how he's now networking The Metropolitan Society, so cigar smokers from other cigar clubs around the country can enjoy the amenities of his cigar lounge.

One Final Thought
At about midweek it suddenly hit me; I noticed that many of the cigar makers we spent time with were the new generation. People like Pete Johnson, Abe Flores, and Jonathan Drew, as well those born into the business like Augustus Reyes Jr., Jaime & Janny Garcia, and Raquel & Patricia Quesada are becoming or have already become some of the movers and shakers of the industry. I also wondered where they'll be five to ten years from now. Let's hope by then, too, that Mr. Loope will be spending more time on the golf course than in the courthouse.

(_[ca]__{{{~

NOTE: You can see more photos in our ProCigar 2011 photo gallery (We'll be adding more pictures daily.)

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Cigars and the ideal surroundings for enjoying them were in full bloom last week when I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 ProCigar Festival in Santiago, The Dominican Republic. This was my first ProCigar Festival, as well as my first visit to the DR. Not only was I impressed with the way the event was organized (big kudos to ProCigar Director, Catherine Llibre and her team), but I also had a chance to meet people from every corner of the industry. What follows are some of the things I took away from the experience.

The People

If I had to describe ProCigar I'd say it's like a combination of the IPCPR Trade show and The Big Smoke, in that, this is one venue where manufacturers, retailers, and consumers get to rub shoulders and learn from each other's respective experiences. I would also add that if you're an avid cigar smoker, you should make it a  point to attend at least one ProCigar Festival during your lifetime.

[break]

Daily field trips were planned for the ProCigar guests. These trips included touring the cigar factories, the tobacco fields, participating in a tobacco tasting seminars, etc. Since I was traveling with my colleagues from Famous Smoke Shop - Arthur Zaretsky, Humberto Gonzalez, and Jeff Brown - we visited many of the same factories. Moreover, I was able to spend some quality time with such cigar makers as Manuel Quesada, Guillermo Leon, Jose Blanco, Abe Flores, Augusto Reyes, Jose Arnoldo "Hoche" Blanco, Daniel Nuñez, Modesta Fondeur, and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo among others, including rising star tobacco broker, Damien Bischoff.

Some of the people staying with us at the Camp David Ranch hotel were Pete Johnson, Janny Garcia, Berta "The Guayabera Lady" Bravo, Cigar Press publisher, Thor Nielsen, Jonathan Drew, Glynn Loope and Brian Berman of CRA, William C. Paley of La Paulina Cigars, and Michael Herklots, manager of the Davidoff cigar stores in New York City. Michael was also the acting "tour manager" for the group at Camp David. Frankly, this story would not be complete without noting that Michael was the perfect host, keeping everyone well-informed and organized.

The Manufacturers

As I noted above, a big part of the trip was meeting with many of the top Dominican cigar manufacturers. One of the topics that often came up was how the cigar business has grown since the cigar boom, and more specifically, how the advent of Cigar Aficionado magazine in 1992 basically turned the entire industry on its head almost overnight. Arthur, who was still working at Famous Smoke Shop in New York City at that time noted that cigars they were selling for $1.80 apiece were suddenly selling for twice that and more.

During our conversation with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo at his E.P.C. Cigars factory, he said that the industry "was never meant to get this big." Carrillo, who approaches his company from an aesthetic standpoint added that cigars "are an art form." He also felt the industry was returning a little to when premium cigars were made in more limited quantities. He cited La Flor Dominicana and Padron cigars as good examples of this philosophy, to which E.P.C. also subscribes. "Cigar smokers are much more educated today," said Carrillo.

On the subject of private labels, or brands that are made by top manufacturers expressly for online mail-order cigar retailers, Carrillo believes that it "hurts the brand" when a major brand's cigars are sold as private labels. This led to a debate that is perhaps better suited for a another article altogether.

Another topic that arose was the increase in cigars coming from Nicaragua. Although The Dominican Republic still leads Central America in exports, Nicaragua's lower labor costs and high quality cigars have taken a significant bite out of the DR's lunch.

The Retailers

Major league cigar retailers like Famous are often viewed as anathema by brick & mortar cigar stores. Yet, most of the retail store owners I spoke to during the festival were extremely affable. Although there is a considerable gap between online retailers and those who sell cigars from behind a counter, I did find one big common denominator - customer service. The cigar stores that have their patrons' best interests in mind are also the most successful. Additionally, they're more creative in the way they promote themselves. One retailer is a sponsor of the Bourbon, Cigars and Jazz event at the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Another told me how he's now networking The Metropolitan Society, so cigar smokers from other cigar clubs around the country can enjoy the amenities of his cigar lounge.

One Final Thought

At about midweek it suddenly hit me; I noticed that many of the cigar makers we spent time with were the new generation. People like Pete Johnson, Abe Flores, and Jonathan Drew, as well those born into the business like Augustus Reyes Jr., Jaime & Janny Garcia, and Raquel & Patricia Quesada are becoming or have already become some of the movers and shakers of the industry. I also wondered where they'll be five to ten years from now. Let's hope by then, too, that Mr. Loope will be spending more time on the golf course than in the courthouse.

(_[ca]__{{{~