Page 27 - TOB Magazine Jan/Feb 2013

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TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013
or it doesn’t go anywhere, in which case
we will eventually shut it down.
How wide a range of product
categories do you offer? Do you have
a central theme or certain criteria that
makes a product appropriate for your
model?
Our current offering is very diverse
and ranges from Italian cigars and
accessories, to Italian hosiery, to mouth
guards, to nautical accessories. Going
forward, we are looking into doing
Italian cutlery (some of the best artisan
knifes from Italy) and, if we can figure
out permits, Italian spirits. While most
American consumers may be familiar
with Grappa and other basics, there is
an incredible number of small-batch
spirits that are currently simply not
available in the U.S. We also may do
another lingerie store, and possibly a
series of stores each devoted to local
products (food, beverages, crafts) for
each of the 20 regions of Italy.
What portion of the company’s
business is tobacco-related? What
kinds of products do you offer that
would be appropriate for our readers?
Our first and one of our most
profitable stores is ItalianSmokes.com,
which is entirely devoted to Italian
cigars and smoking accessories. In
particular, ItalianSmokes is the official
online distributor in the U.S. of the
Toscano and Toscanello cigar brands.
Toscano cigars are a truly iconic
brand in Italy, and most unique and
potent cigars. If you go around Italy,
especially in smaller towns, you will
often see people sitting outside and
smoking Toscano. It’s part of the
heritage and culture of the nation.
The Toscano brand was born in 1818
and thus has almost two centuries of
history, making it one of the oldest
cigar brands in the world. Toscano
cigars are “cheerots”, i.e. they have
wrapper and filler, but no binder. They
are crafted in Italy—using Kentucky
tobacco grown either in Italy or in the
U.S.—with a very traditional process,
unchanged in its essence for almost
two centuries. Tobacco first undergoes
wet fermentation for 30 to 50 days.
Then, leaves are flame-cured in ovens
fueled by oak and beech woods. Then
cigars are rolled, many by hand. Lastly,
cigars undergo an entirely natural aging
process for up to 12 months.The result
is [a] uniquely flavorful and potent type
of cigars.
Most American cigar aficionados are
not familiar with genuine Italian cigars.
They might have tried imitations,
“Italian-style” products, and dismissed
them as “cheap.” While some of these
replicas have their time and place for
a casual smoke, true Italian cigars
are something else. For example,
just consider “Il Moro,” Toscano’s
flagship cigar: a hand-rolled, oversized
(50-gauge by 9-inch) cigar crafted
using only very best tobacco leaves and
in very limited quantities. Every year,
only a few thousand “Il Moro”are made,
and if you can get one, I guarantee that
it will be up there with the strongest,
most flavorful, best smokes you ever
had. Many other original Toscano
and Toscanello products are equally
surprising…so if you have some Italian
blood and are proud of your heritage, or
are simply looking for a new and strong
cigar, give them a try.
What trends or preferences have you
observed in the marketplace today?
What we observe is that the market
is polarizing towards the extremes:
mass market is becoming cheaper, and
higher end is becoming more luxurious.
The middle market, which was never as
big in the U.S. as in other places around
the world, is shrinking even more. As
far as Multiverse is concerned, as all our
products are somewhat exclusive (we
don’t do mass market) we respond by
providing more affordable choice while
at the same time ensuring that we do
offer very exclusive, high-end items as
well. In a way our offering polarizes,
too, towards the extreme—but only to a
point, because I will never compromise
on the quality or authenticity of our
products.
Do you use social media to promote
your business? And if so, how?
We like to think that we are very
competent when it comes to online
marketing, and we certainly work hard
to constantly improve our promotional
efforts and build our brands. In
particular, we maintain a presence on
most social media (from Facebook and
Twitter to new outlets such as Instagram