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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
JULY/AUGUST 2014
Premium cigars are making more tracks through the convenience store channel.
A
s more premium cigar makers cater to
the convenience channel, more c-store
retailers consider dabbling in the
premiummarket—or is it the other way around?
It’s not entirely clear which came first, but the
fact remains: premium cigars are carving out a
small niche and a future in convenience stores.
Swisher International, maker of Swisher
Sweets and other popular machine-made cigars,
took hold of the trend early last year when it
entered the premium cigar market with the
launch of its Royal Gold Cigars division, led by
cigar industry veteran Alex Goldman, former
owner and president of House of Oxford/
Mom’s Cigars. According to Goldman, it is
Royal Gold’s mission to produce and market
great handmade cigars at reasonable prices.
Royal Gold’s inaugural product, created
under its new Gold Strike brand and crafted in
Estelí, Nicaragua, is a handmade cigar made of
a mixture of long and short filler tobacco, bound
tightly by a medium-brown Sumatran wrapper
(a blend commonly referred to as a “Cuban
sandwich”), and retails for about $2 a cigar.
This March, Royal Gold Cigars’ Gold Strike
premium cigars became available at QuikTrip
convenience stores across the country and set the
stage for other chains to embark on the trend.
Earlier this year at the Tobacco Plus
Convenience Expo (TPC) in Las Vegas,
Nevada, premium cigar manufacturers Altadis,
General, Drew Estate, Rocky Patel and Oliva
were all highlighting singlestick packs for the
grab-and-go convenience channel. While
Altadis, General and Drew Estate entered
this market a couple of years ago, Rocky Patel
and Oliva are newcomers. At this year’s TPC,
Rocky Patel unveiled Vintage 1990 and 1999,
while Oliva introduced Serie G. Reserve and
Connecticut Nub, all in single foil packs.
A Matter of Convenience
By Renée Covino
