How involved are you in advocating for the industry? What advice would you offer to retailers who are looking to have a voice in Washington and/or the state level about regulations that will impact their businesses?
As I mentioned, we’re very involved. It is important for retailers to be informed, even if they don’t have the resources to advocate on their own behalf all the time. There are many industry associations that do a great job of keeping retailers informed through newsletters, seminars, webinars and lobbying opportunities. Even getting in touch with these associations at trade shows is helpful. Secondly, it is important to come together as one community. While each retailer has their own interests and challenges, presenting a united front is helpful to achieve common goals.
You now produce a range of filtered cigars. What’s next for the company? What are your goals for 2017?
We have 12 styles (Tropical and Strawberry make 11 and 12, respectively). We have some exciting new consumer engagement plans on the horizon that will drive traffic to retail stores and we have plans to expand our distribution even further. While our goals change from year to year, our vision has remained a constant: provide profitable solutions to our industry partners and provide quality, affordable products to our adult consumers. Cheyenne was started as a team of four, and we maintain that entrepreneurial spirit to this day. We find this is a competitive advantage when working with our retail partners and will continue to operate this way in the years to come.
– Story by Jennifer Gelfand
This story first appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
