Franca Comparetto is the CEO and co-founder of Cigar Sense Inc., a pioneering platform that delivers unbiased, personalized cigar recommendations based on sensory science and consumer preferences—not marketing hype. In this conversation, Franca shares her remarkable journey from her early career in Brussels at the European Commission, through a decade at Cisco leading business operations and data governance, to co-founding Cigar Sense with her husband.
Franca explains how her frustration as a cigar lover in the U.S. led to building the world’s first independent recommendation engine for premium cigars. She details how Cigar Sense educates consumers, helps them avoid costly trial and error, and empowers them to trust their own palates. The platform’s unique approach is rooted in blind testing, statistical rigor, and sensory panel training, ensuring its recommendations remain unbiased and authentic.
We explore:
- Franca’s transition from a corporate career to entrepreneurship, and the values that guided her.
- Why she believes sensory autonomy is both a pleasure and a fundamental consumer right.
- How Cigar Sense uses data and sensory insights to serve both consumers and manufacturers.
- The problem with hype-driven marketing and how it damages trust between brands and consumers.
- The role of ethics in building a sustainable, value-based business—even when it comes with sacrifices.
- Personal stories of discovering cigars, cultural differences between Italy and the U.S., and how flavors connect to memory, identity, and tradition.
Franca also reflects on the broader significance of cigars: not just as luxury products, but as companions to celebration, resilience, and mindful moments of rest. She highlights how cigars have historically served roles from spirituality to social status, and why today they are best understood as experiences that enhance life when chosen authentically.
Despite bootstrapping Cigar Sense from the start, Franca has stayed committed to impartiality, transparency, and putting consumers first. She explains why companies that genuinely listen to their customers earn lasting loyalty and why she continues to push for clarity, standards, and education in the cigar industry.
This episode is not only about cigars—it’s about purpose, trust, and building businesses that put values before hype. Franca’s story is an inspiring example of how to merge science, ethics, and passion into a venture that makes a real difference in people’s lives.
Whether you are a cigar aficionado, an entrepreneur, or someone interested in consumer advocacy, you’ll find rich insights in this conversation about integrity, sensory discovery, and the power of building with purpose.
About Franca Comparetto
- http://www.cigarsense.com
About Federico Ramallo ✨👨💻🌎
🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers
- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/
- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io
- ✅ https://prevetted.ai
🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡
- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast
- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod
- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast
00:00 Introduction to Franca Compareto and Cigar Sense
09:52 The Art and Science of Cigar Tasting
24:33 Consumer Advocacy and Ethical Business Models
28:24 The Value of Quality in Wine and Cigars
29:18 Blind Testing and Real-Time Recommendations
30:40 The Role of Statistics in Sensory Analysis
32:47 Trusting Algorithms and Ethical Business Models
35:08 Consumer-Centric Approaches in the Cigar Industry
38:35 The Importance of Clarity in Cigar Tasting
42:00 The Risks of Hype in Product Launches
44:38 Building Trust and Loyalty in the Cigar Market
47:44 The Purpose Behind Ethical Business Practices
51:02 Celebrating Life's Moments with Cigars
