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PREMIUM
CIGARS
How to
Launch a
Successful
Humidor
Program
Interested in bringing premium
cigars into your store? Here’s
how to get started.
By Antoine Reid
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OETTINGER DAVIDOFF AG
Tobacco leaves hang from the ceiling in Davidoff's
flagship store in Geneva, Switzerland.
W
Whether you’re an established tobacconist or a retailer
interested in expanding your store’s footprint, cigars and
humidors are good investments. Despite government
regulations impacting premium cigars, this category of
tobacco hasn’t slowed down and actually has the poten-
tial to boost your bottom line this year. If you’re just get-
ting started, begin with the most important factor: how
to store the stogies you plan to stock. Before ordering
even one box of cigars, you need to devote time and at-
tention to a humidor, the box or room that will maintain
a consistent level of humidity and ideal temperature for
cigar storage.
The good news is that humidors come in different
shapes and sizes, offering retailers of various backgrounds
a lot of options in starting a humidor program. Let’s say
your business is primarily in spirits. While an entire room
dedicated to cigars may not be wise, you can start with an
affordable countertop humidor that can hold 100 or more
cigars as an entry into this new premium market.
The topic of humidor programs is so important and
relevant in today’s marketplace that it was one of the
focus sessions at this year’s Tobacco Plus Expo in Las
Vegas. Sergio Montolfo, general manager at Phillips
& King, led a panel of retailers and manufacturers in
discussing how different businesses can launch suc-
cessful and profitable humidor programs. According
to Montolfo, a strong program hinges on three im-
portant factors: space allocation, price point and fla-
vor-profile offerings.
Also at the show, Nick Douglas, director of purchas-
ing at The Party Source in Kentucky, shared his experi-
ence in building a humidor program for his company.
“Our showroom floor is about 1,000 square feet, which
includes a main floor and a premium room (a walk-in
within another walk-in humidor),” explained Douglas.
“It’s gone through several different versions, from the
countertop when it started back in 1989 and 1990 to a
bigger walk-in, and then to what we now call the ‘hall-
way’—a long, skinny-walk-in.”
STOCKING STOGIES
Of course, setting up a humidor is only half the battle.
How do you choose the cigars to display in your new hu-
midor? For Douglas, it’s all about achieving a good mix
of both boutique and more established brands. “A lot
of problems I’ve seen with other humidors is that many
ignore the heritage blends. You always need to have your
Montecristos and your Romeos. Those heritage brands
are going to pay the bills and keep the lights on,” he
explained. “The problem I think some managers have
is wanting to chase all the flavors and wanting to have
every single blend out there. Make sure you have room
for both in your humidor.”
[ T O B A C C O B U S I N E S S . C O M ]
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