Crux Cigar Company had a banner year in 2016; so coming into the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, the company decided to build on those strengths in terms of what its product roadmap would be. Crux captured three high honors from online media in 2016. We awarded the company the 2016 Cigar of the Year award for the Crux du […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Alpha Cigar Company at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2017 No Comments Alpha Cigar Company, Feature Story, IPCPR 2017
Alpha Cigar Company just completed its second IPCPR Trade Show – and it’s a company that many folks are taking notice of. The heart and soul of the company is Alpha’s Absinthe Infused line – consisting of three blends: Connecticut Shade, San Andres Maduro, and San Andres Claro. As the name indicates, this line is infused with a spirit […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Cubariqueño Cigar Company at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
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It was the third IPCPR Trade Show for Juan Cancel and Bill Ives‘ Cubariqueño Cigar Company. This year the company used a strategy that worked last year, introduce a new line and a lancero line extension. Cancel and Ives have “lived the dream” that many cigar enthusiasts desire – namely going from cigar enthusiast to brand owner. When we […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on E.P. Carrillo at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2017 No Comments E.P. Carrillo, EPC, Feature Story, IPCPR 2017
2016 was a year of change at E.P. Carrillo, as the company overhauled its entire portfolio. Company owner Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. missed this year’s trade show due to family reasons, but the booth was in good hands with Perez-Carrillo’s daughter Lissette and Senior Vice President José Blanco. For 2017 E.P. Carrillo would bring back a product from […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Fratello Cigars at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
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Fratello Cigars owner Omar de Frias might have left his job at NASA last year, but that doesn’t mean a little bit of NASA has remained close to his heart. At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, de Frias showcased his newest line, the Fratello Navetta, a line with a space shuttle theme that pays homage to de Frias’ […]
Feature Story: Evaluating the Three-Year Delay Issued by the FDA
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On July 28, 2017, newly appointed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb unveiled a tobacco program known as Protecting American Families: Comprehensive Approach to Nicotine and Tobacco. One component of this program was a plan to push the deadline for cigar and pipe tobacco companies to submit products for FDA approval out nearly […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Bombay Tobak at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
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For this year’s IPCPR Trade Show, Mel Shah’s Bombay Tobak upgraded to a more spacious booth – and it accommodated the healthy flow of traffic throughout the week. This seemed to be a natural progression of things as the company now has two strong brands (MBombay and Gaaja) and eight lines between those brands. With […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Debonaire House at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
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For the second year in a row, Phil Zanghi’s Debonaire House was a part of the Drew Estate booth at the IPCPR Trade Show. While I still miss the stagecoach and motorcycles that were once a part of the Debonaire booth, there is one constant that was still very much present- the passion and energy of Phil Zanghi. At the […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Villiger North America at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2017 No Comments Feature Story, IPCPR 2017, Villiger
The 2017 IPCPR Trade Show for Villiger North America was quite interesting. From looking at its booth, it was very easy to see that this is a company that is very proud of its 129-year history. Over the past 18 months, Villiger has been trying to find a place in the U.S. market when it comes to premium cigars. This year, […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Plasencia Cigars at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
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If there was “the story” at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, it was the launch of Plasencia Cigars. The Plasencias have 152 years experience in the cigar business and truly are one of the iconic families in the industry’s history. Now, after many years being growers and producers in the cigar business, the Plasencias last year have launched their own brand. […]