Claudio Sgroi, a tobacco industry veteran best known for his time as Mombacho Cigars SA’s Master Blender and President, has announced the launch of his own consulting company, CST Consulting. Sgroi made the official announcement of his venture on the exact 20th anniversary of stepping onto a tobacco field for the first time.
“This is a significant step in my career,” said Claudio Sgroi in a press release, “since through ‘CST Consulting, LLC’, I will be able to share my expertise and my dreams in the tobacco industry.”
“May 18, 2001 was when I stepped for the first time into a tobacco field!” added Sgroi, “two intensive and immersive decades spent in the tobacco industry feels like a lifetime to me. During this period, I travelled the world exploring and working relentlessly to discover every aspect of our beloved industry. These twenty years allowed myself to create a bag full of experiences and knowledge; what I accumulated in these years is what I will be bringing to my clients’ operations and energizes me to pursuit this new venture.”
The press release goes on to say that CST Consulting will offer consultative services covering the premium tobacco industry from “The-Seed-To-The-Ash” comprising tobacco crops management, fermentation, and pre-industry, tobacco supply chain setup and operations, blending, production and quality assurance, international logistics, distribution and fulfillment, design, and marketing and sales strategies.
CST Consulting, LLC is based in Miami and has already signed several contracts of partnership, collaborations, and consulting with companies in different continents: United Tabac (Miami, FL-USA) import, distribution, and fulfillment; Julián Sued & Cía (Dominican Republic) quality assurance, blending, and business development; Tabacalera Tambor (Nicaragua) blending and production; FAEC (Miami, FL-USA) industrial engineering, project management; PSX Ventures GMBH (Austria) product development, creative concepts, training for importers, distributors, sales staff and hospitality operators, marketing concepts for manufacturers; Lyon Cigars (Canada) blending, marketing and distribution strategy; Camino Cigars (USA) blending and production assurance at Julián Sued & Cía; Tabacalera Del Oriente (Perú) quality assurance and international distribution; Italian Cigar Group S.R.L. (Italy) tobacco supply, blending, quality assurance, production, and distribution strategy. To respect privacy and the non-disclosure agreements, other continents including Africa are not named.
“I’m extremely happy to get back to my roots of Consultant. My passion for new projects and the challenges that come with them are very inspiring to me,” commented Sgroi, “CST is set to be a leader in consulting the tobacco industry and has already created tight relationships with several companies to redefine the word boutique in premium cigars, to help new talents to become major players in the industry, and to offer new services in this industry.”
Sgroi also is currently serving as President of the Nicaragua Tobacco Chamber (CNT), which includes 26 members, representing 95% of the cigars and tobacco exported from Nicaragua.
Photo Credit: CST Consulting
