This past spring, Mike Bellody’s MLB Cigar Ventures and the Seijas family’s Matilde Cigars announced they were ending their distribution agreement with Quesada Cigars to form their own distribution company known as SeiBel Distribution. At this year’s IPCPR Trade Show, the two companies partnered together for booth space to showcase their offerings. While the companies […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co at 2018 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 1 Comment Feature Story, IPCPR 2018, Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Company
This year, Oscar Valladares Tobacco and Company moved into its own booth. This was a booth that was filled with vibrant colors. At the same time, the newer products reflected a combination of Mayan culture and contemporary art. In previous years, Oscar Valladares Tobacco had shared a booth with Jim Robinson of Leaf cigars. The […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on RoMa Craft Tobac at the 2018 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 No Comments 2018 IPCPR, Feature Story, RoMa Craft Tobac
One thing I learned over the past few years, you don’t need to have new product to have a successful IPCPR Trade Show. For years, companies like Arturo Fuente, Oliva, and Padrón have had very successful shows without the pressure of having a new product. As I learned over the past couple of years, […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on American Caribbean Cigars, Vintage Rock-a-Feller Cigar Group, and The Traveler at the 2018 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 No Comments American Caribbean Tobacco, Feature Story, IPCPR 2018, La Rosa de Sandiego, Rock-A-Feller, The Traveler
American Caribbean Cigars is a company has operated a factory in Estelí, Nicaragua for quite some time. They have produced cigars for companies such as Gurkha, Toraño, and Leccia Tobacco. In 2015, American Caribbean released its very own brand called La Rosa de Sandiego. Since then this has been a brand on the rise while continuing […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Cubariqueño Cigar Company at the 2018 IPCPR Trade Show
William Cooper Feature Story No Comments Cubariqueño Cigar Company, Feature Story, IPCPR 2018, Protocol
In 2015 two cigar enthusiasts named Juan Cancel and Bill Ives started a company called Cubariqueño Cigar Company and launched a brand called Protocol. They went to the 2015 IPCPR, getting a small space at the Espinosa Cigars booth and quietly sold out of their inventory. Over the past three years, the brand has grown. In […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Debonaire House at the 2018 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 No Comments Debonaire, Feature Story, Indian Motorcycle Ultra Premium Cigars, IPCPR 2018
At the 2018 IPCPR Trade Show, Debonaire House co-founder Phil Zanghi was floating between the Drew Estate and De Los Reyes booth. Much of the reason is he is getting ready to transition his distribution away from Drew Estate by the end of the year. In 2019, Debonaire House will resume self-distribution, this time leveraging the […]
Feature Story: The Full 2018 IPCPR Post-Game Report
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 3 Comments Feature Story, IPCPR, IPCPR 2018, IPCPR 2018 Post Game
For the fourth year in a row, we are providing a full “Post-Game Report” assessing the IPCPR Convention and Trade Show. This year we added four daily “post-game” recaps from the show floor. At the same time, I felt the need to continue to have the detailed post-game analysis of the trade show. In this […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Bombay Tobak at the 2018 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 1 Comment Bombay Tobak, Feature Story, Gaaja, IPCPR 2018, MBombay, MQBA
2018 would be a big year for Mel Shah and Bombay Tobak as the company would launch a new brand known as MQBA. In a time when innovation is on the decline in the cigar industry, Shah and his company brought something a little different to the IPCPR Trade Show with MQBA. MQBA is made up […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Cornelius & Anthony at the 2018 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 No Comments Cornelius & Anthony, Feature Story, IPCPR 2018
Cornelius & Anthony is the premium cigar company launched by Steven Bailey and his family. Bailey had made his mark in the cigarette business (with S&M Brands), but about five years ago, he turned his attention to the premium cigar industry. While Bailey had great success in the cigarette business, he had a bit of […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Black Label Trading Company, Black Works Studio, and Emilio at the 2018 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2018 No Comments Black Label Trading Company, Black Works Studio, Boutiques Unified, Emilio, Feature Story, IPCPR 2018
For 2018, James and Angela Brown brought a new larger booth into IPCPR to showcase their Black Label Trading Company (BLTC) and Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) brands. The booth was not only one of the standout ones in terms of design, but it was one of the most welcoming ones. This year the booth […]