Yes, sir, that is correct. Of all the projects that you have done, which one has been your favorite?
That is easy. It was the building and launching of Caldwell Cigars with a group of four friends. It felt like the Wild West. We have had a ton of fun doing it. Best of all, I’m still having a lot of fun. I love being able to create all these crazy names and keeping the names, box and band designs all art-centric. I believe when doing business a ton of energy should be present.
What cigar lines did you start out with?
When we went public, we first introduced the King is Dead, Long Live the King and Eastern Standard.
What is your top selling cigar to date?
That is easy: Blind Man’s Bluff.
I know that for me, one moment I had never heard of Caldwell Cigars, and the next you guys were everywhere. It seemed everyone was going crazy buying, reselling and trading your cigars. What is your opinion of social media?
Social media was, in my opinion, the biggest part of our success. We got lucky and launched Caldwell Cigars around the same time when Instagram started. It was perfect timing!
You came to CFW to be part of the Synergy Program because you had a desire to give back to our troops. What is it about our troops that gives you the drive to give back?
I support the U.S. military, especially our veterans. The selflessness that our troops have is very special and rare in this world. They are willing to put their lives in front of my family’s lives as a shield. The very least I can do is support them by hopefully making their deployments less stressful.
What is it about this project that CFW and Caldwell Cigars is doing that appeals to you, besides your love for the troops?
A cigar is meditative and an equalizer. Nowhere do you see both of these qualities like you do with our troops. I dream of having a brand that is made for charity and that will outlast me. To build something that is perpetual and outlasts—that is what it means to do something for the community. There is no more important community that I can help serve than our U.S. servicemembers. These men and women have given so much, and they continue to give despite the fact that our country has not done nearly enough for them.
Of all the military and non-military charities out there, what drew you to CFW?
I like the web of CFW. I see it everywhere, and every volunteer I meet is very sincere and passionate. I see the same high-quality people that serve as volunteers for CFW all over the country. It gives me great confidence to support CFW because I know the strong ethics that CFW’s board of directors and the other volunteers have. CFW’s message and mission is loud and clear. When I get the privilege of meeting one of CFW’s recipients, they tell me how much their care package meant to them. You can really see how much these packages mean to these men and women.
Let’s talk about the upcoming Cigars for Warriors cigar that Caldwell Cigars is blending.
It is going to be a yearly limited edition cigar called the Mad Mofo, with a slightly different blend variation than what you get from the traditional Mofo cigar. It has a maduro wrapper and will be Robusto (5 x 50) in size. The profile is medium to full-bodied. It is a very rich cigar, a bit more sophisticated than the normal Mofo lines.
What about the flavor of it?
It tastes like freedom! I chose the Mofo line because, to me, it is the most appropriate brand for the U.S. military because they are a bunch of badass Mad Mofos. I just want to say that in all sincerity I am both honored and proud to be part of the CFW Synergy Program.
The companies that are involved in the Synergy Program, like Caldwell Cigars, are making CFW a showcase cigar, meaning one of their best. These special cigars will only be sold in CFW donation centers with 100 percent of their profits being donated to CFW. CFW donation center cigar retailers can place orders for Caldwell’s Mad Mofo CFW Limited Edition now, and the cigar will begin to ship in September.
This story first appeared in the September/October 2021 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
