Deep Cuts Live

Often times in our career, we're faced with how to bring new life and excitement into an already established product or brand. How do you push that product into the future while honoring its past? That's a question that Sean Williams has had to deal with as the brand ambassador for Cohiba Cigars. Williams talks about his past in cigar blending and how building his own brand led to the opportunity to help manage a brand with worldwide recognition.

You're selling a product in a niche market where the focus is more so on the product than a personality. This is a scenerio faced by many people working in sales and marketing today and something this episode's guest, Terence Reilly, deals with on a regular basis. Terence is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Aganorsa Leaf, a company that not only grows tobacco in Nicaragua but makes its own cigars as well. Terence shares how he's helped to rebrand the company to put the focus on its tobacco and its cigars and how focusing on the consumer's experience has been his company's pathway to success in a competitive market.

How do you sell a product when you're facing challenges such as negative attitudes, crowded marketplace, or unexpected occurrences like the coronavirus? You think positively and turn to sales experts like Rick Ardito. Currently Rick is the national sales director for Bugatti Group where he's selling an innovative collection of torch lighters but he's help sell everything from humidors to premium cigars. He shares his experience and reasons for remaining positive and reveals tricks of the trade, including how mentioning a popular coffee franchise can get you out of many uncomfortable situations.

In the digital age, why are brick and mortar retailers still so important to the cigar industry? That's a question we tackle in this interview with Juan Lopez, the National Sales Director for Gurkha Cigars. Juan has worked in the premium cigar industry since the mid 1990s during the famed Cigar Boom and has seen cigars go from being so in demand that manufacturers struggled to keep up with demand to a time where it's harder to get shelf space in a retail store. Juan talks about his experience selling cigars and dives into the history of Gurkha Cigars, a brand that's celebrated its 30th anniversary just last year.

Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has built a reputation as being one of the cigar industry's most celebrated cigarmakers with an amazing story. Ernesto grew up in Cuba and moved to America where he wanted to become a musician. That dream evolved and cigars entered his life and he went on to understand tobacco on a level that few have. Ernesto talks about blending cigars and building his own brand, E.P. Carrillo Cigar Co., a company he runs with his family. He also looks back on his career, from experiencing the Cigar Boom in the '90s to creating a new trend, big ring gauged cigars. Ernesto also talks about winning Cigar Aficionado's Cigar of the Year, collaborating with others, and how he ultimately hopes to be remembered.

James Brown and his wife Angela once ran their own travel company. Then they decided to give it all up and move to Nicaragua and start their own cigar company. Many entrepreneurs dream of owning their own company but few are aware of all of the sacrifices that will need to be made in order to achieve anything remotely resembling success. Check out this interview with James and learn how–and why–he created Black Label Trading Company and built his own cigar factory.

Have you ever wanted to go and start your own business in a niche market? You may want to listen to this interview with Jeff Haugen of Crux Cigars first! Jeff shares his story of how he went from working in retail to creating his own premium cigar brand and the challenges he's faced along the way. Jeff emphasizes the importance of having a passion for your work and brands and how pursuing monetary gains isn't always the best goal for any entrepreneur or business.

An interview with Ram Rodriguez, CEO of El Artista Cigars. Ram reveals his unexpected career in the tobacco industry, his family's business. Ram fields listeners questions about tobacco and cigar blending and also provides the stories behind some of his company's well-known brands, including Big Papi by David Ortiz.

An interview with Joshua Habursky, Director of Federal Affairs for the Premium Cigar Association (PCA). Joshua talks about Substantial Equivalence (SE), a part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's compliance for premium cigar and other tobacco products. While discussing SE's overall impact on the industry and new and existing products, Joshua also touches on advocacy and how retailers, manufacturers and consumers can band together to bring about positive change for the premium cigar industry in the U.S.

An interview with Brad Winstead, CEO of Casa de Montecristo, Inc. Brad's two-decades long career in the tobacco industry began in retail and since then he's dealt with sales, marketing and finally made his way back to retail as the CEO of the franchise, Casa de Montecristo, which has locations across the U.S. Brad shares his experience with improving the in-store experience for consumers and how retailers can better prepare themselves for future disruptions caused by COVID-19 and other unexpected events.