60 TOBACCO BUSINESS | JULY / AUGUST | 22 When asked what he hopes to accomplish with his brand, Falto responded that Tabacalera Falto would “continue to represent what a true ultra-boutique premium cigar is all about.” He also has a more general goal: to bring joy and experience to those that truly appreciate something unique and different— and to create a cigar with love, passion and a great sense of tradition. RethinkingBusiness Success Even as the threat of increasing regulations looms over the entire cigar industry in the U.S. and beyond, Falto says it’s business as usual for now, although he’s aware that things may change in the future. If things should take a turn for the worse, however, he says he’s ready to defend his company and products in any situation. For now, he’s focused on Tabacalera Falto and getting his product into the hands of as many people as possible. Falto is also constantlyworking on educating cigar smokers about what it means for his brand to be ultra-boutique. Every cigar is made and blended with passion, tradition and high standards of quality. Tabacalera Falto is not a mass-market product, meaning that what you see in stores is the product of a small production run that allowed Falto and his partners to use only the best tobaccos available without having to make compromises, in order to produce a lot of cigars. That’s also important to know: Falto says he never compromises, and in terms of tobacco, he only looks for the best of the best that the world has to offer. Falto’s advice to others mirrors the choices and decisions he made while building his brand: If you want success, you have to get out there and do the work. Meet with people and show them what you have to offer. Make your presence known, and show your peers and your customers the person behind the brand. Whatever you do, do it with humility. The often unspoken secret to finding success in the cigar industry is being proud of being part of the industry you work in. “The tobacco and cigar industry is beautiful,” he says. “It is a family. There is a lot of passion, tradition and commitment in this industry.” Tabacalera Falto didn’t launch in a traditional fashion. Instead, Falto intentionally chose a business model that would limit the company’s growth so that it would never have to sacrifice quality to meet demand. When you think about your business, take a look at it from a different angle like Falto did. “Big” isn’t necessarily great, and large quantities do not always equate to great quality. “Small production run” isn’t the negative business phrase we’ve made it out to be—in fact, it can be the unique selling point that sets your business and its products apart fromothers. TB Top: The Lancero-sized El Surco Cosecheros was previously only available in Puerto Rico, where Tabacalera Falto is headquartered. It was widely released in 2021 and was dedicated to tobacco farmers. Bottom: The Falto Yagüez Arawaco is a short figurado that offers a perfect balance of black pepper, sweet cedar and floral notes.
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