Tobacco Business

[ 14 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ JANUARY / FEBRUARY | 22 ] I EDITOR’S LETTER MAGAZINE TOBACCO BUSINESS VOL25 NO1 ✶ JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 PRESIDENT Jason Carignan MANAGING DIRECTOR Ben Stimpson SENIOR EDITOR AND DIGITAL DIRECTOR Antoine D. Reid ART DIRECTOR Harrison Brackett COPY EDITOR Stephanie Banfield CONTRIBUTORS Tony Abboud, Thomas Briant, Storm Boen and Matthias Clock TOBACCO PLUS EXPO TRADE SHOW DIRECTOR Ellie Hansen TMG SALES MANAGER Dawn Conger DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Brian Rodak TRADE SHOW OPERATIONS & LOGISTICS MANAGER Scott Gibson SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rachel Esteffe TMG SALES ASSOCIATE Carly Gegorek TOBACCO BUSINESS MAGAZINE PO Box 58541 Raleigh, NC 27658 A DIVISION OF KRETEK INTERNATIONAL, INC. CHAIRMAN Hugh Cassar PRESIDENT AND CEO Sean Cassar CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Don Gormly Tobacco Business is published bimonthly at PO Box 58541, Raleigh, NC 27658. Printed in USA. Copyright 2022 by TBI, LLC. Subscription rate is $45.00/year. Send paid subscriptions to Tobacco Business at same address as mentioned above. For reprint information, contact Ben Stimpson at 919.412.7380. Copying: Permission is granted with users of the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. To photocopy any article, with the exception of those for which separate copyright ownership is indicated on the first page of the article, provide a base fee of $1.25/copy. Tobacco Business International is a registered trademark of TBI, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tobacco Business , PO Box 58541, Raleigh, NC 27658. An Epic Crossover Event The Team Antoine Reid, Senior Editor, antoinereid@tobaccobusiness.com I love a good crossover. Remember back in the day, long before there were the thousands of streaming services we have now, when television shows would hype a big crossover event to get ratings up? Family Matters ’ Urkel on Full House ; Scandal ’s Oliva Pope on How to Get Away With Murder ; Blossom appearing on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . Crossovers don’t always make sense, but they’re fun, and typically in the differences between the characters that are interacting on these different shows, there’s something to be learned from their brief interaction. That theme of crossovers is how I view the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) trade show. Yes, it’s a tobacco-themed show, but it’s also a show that showcases the best up-and-coming companies in the alternative space. If you’re someone that typically deals with CBD, vapor, e-cigarettes and other products that are relatively new to the market, the other side of the show probably looks a bit different from the world and business you’re accustomed to. TPE is that weird mashup of worlds, businesses and categories. It’s the one time of year where as both an attendee and exhibitor, you get to see how “the other side” works. In theory, this type of show shouldn’t work. It’s oil and water. It’s forcing tobacco and alternative companies to coexist in the same universe for three days. Despite these things, it does work—and it has worked for years. TPE is a trade show like no other, and as the tobacco industry and categories have evolved over time, so has the show to reflect what you’re likely to find on the shelves of any smoke shop or even the savviest of premium tobacconists looking to serve the entire smoking market. One of the most talked about features of TPE each year is the red carpet versus the blue carpet. The tobacco exhibitors are all positioned on the red carpet, and alternative companies are placed on the blue carpet. Although there are clearly two distinct sides of the show, there’s no intention of creating any separation between the two sides, meaning you’re supposed to cross over from one side to the other without any judgment. Hear me out. Say you’re a tobacconist, and premium cigars are your main thing. You make a decent profit each year on cigar sales, and you also carry some adjacent products that feed into that lifestyle, such as lighters, cutters, butane and so on. I’m betting, however, you’re also grappling with that ongoing question of, “How do I get new customers in my store’s doors?” Well, why not offer a small selection of alternative products? An on-counter display of an oral nicotine pouch product may be a great upsell for someone trying to find an alternative to smoking cigarettes. Or how about a selection of CBD tinctures? Now consider the flip side of that story. You’re a vape shop owner, and because of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent actions, 80 percent of your store’s SKUs are no longer there. Do you close up shop or do you look for an alternative? Becoming a smoke shop and bringing in hookah, cigars and some pipe tobaccos could help you build a new customer base. This issue of Tobacco Business is different. It’s meant to be. This issue reflects what you’ll find on the show floor at TPE22, which will be held from Jan. 26, 2022 to Jan. 28, 2022. There’s some pipe tobacco in the form of our cover story, which features Jeremy McKenna of Sutliff Tobacco. There are some premium cigars featured in a story on Casdagli Cigars and Frontier Cigars, and there are even a few “alternative” stories, including a look at the hookah maker Fantasia Distribution and hemp-orientated CannaAid. While some of these products and companies may lie outside of your usual realm of interest and comfort zone, give each story some consideration because each one presents a new opportunity— just as every exhibitor at TPE could be offering that “new” product you’ve been searching for in order to attract new customers. I hope to see everyone at TPE this year, and if we pass one another, please take a moment to say hello. If you haven’t registered to attend yet, you can do so quickly and easily by visiting tobaccoplusexpo.com . See you at the show! TB TOBACCOBUSINESS.COM