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 […]
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 […]
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’ […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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. […]
On the eve of the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, came word that Matt Booth’s brief hiatus from the cigar industry was over and that he would be teaming up with Robert Caldwell (whom Matt refers to as “Rosewood”) for two cigar lines. Booth was in attendance at the Trade Show showcasing both of the lines. Matt would split […]
It was the most anticipated Keynote Address at an IPCPR Trade Show and Convention since Mike Ditka in 2013. Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, delivered the Keynote Address at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show and Convention. In a speech that lasted nearly an hour, Giuliani’s focus slanted toward justifying the political agenda of the […]
