Tobacco Business

[ 40 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ MARCH / APRIL | 21 ] Even though cigars appeared to be part of Pegg’s past, he still thought about his time and experience in the industry often, so much so that he often would think about the similarities between mutual funds and cigars. Cigars were composed of wrapper, binder and fillers. In the world of mutual funds, stocks could be viewed as the filler. Binders, Pegg felt, were specific stocks, such as Apple, while the wrapper was the style one took when putting together a mutual fund. It was clear that no matter how much time he spent away from the industry, cigars were always on Pegg’s mind, and a return to what he loved was on the horizon. Pegg knew he couldn’t do it alone, so he brought on two partners, Frank Layo and Martin Corboy, to help him start a cigar brand of his own. The three business partners began working diligently on their brand’s first cigar blend, a process that was delayed slightly in 2018 by the civil unrest taking place in Nicaragua. Pegg knew that who he partnered with for the production of his soon-to-be company’s first cigar was going to be important, so he sought the help of Rocky Patel. When he discussed the idea of starting his own brand and using one of Patel’s factories to help create the blend, Patel offered to help Pegg because of his reputation of hard work and years of work in the industry. With the help of Patel’s Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A. (Tavicusa) factory, the group was able to bring their first cigar to market in 2019, the limited edition Solamente, which was offered in just one size. In April 2020, the group introduced its first regular production line, Dedicación. Dedicación’s blend consists of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and Nicaraguan tobaccos that make up the binder and filler. The Dedicación line was inspired by various meaningful people in Pegg’s life, supporters, those working at the factory level and all of the mentors that shaped Pegg’s career, including David Berkebile, Walter Gorski, Cano Ozgener and George Brightman. Each size in the Dedicación line—Berkey, Commandant, Huge and Coach—is named after a specific person in Pegg’s life. With the cigar blends settled on, all that was left to do was name the company itself. Because the different people that inspired the Dedicación line were all “saints” in Pegg’s life, it seemed only natural for the company’s name to also be inspired by them, so he chose the name All Saints Cigars. “Martin looked at me, and he goes, ‘Well, Micky, you’re Saint Michael. Frank, you’re Saint Francis.’ And then he goes ‘All Saints!’ We all were like, ‘Oh, wow. We like the name of it.’ And we looked at Martin and said, ‘There’s no Saint Martin!’ He goes, ‘Yeah, there is—there’s an island named after me!’ We all start laughing, and that’s what stuck.” Though All Saints Cigars launched in late October 2019, the official launch date of the brand is listed as Nov. 1, 2019, which is All Saints’ Day. The Last Time When it comes to promoting the All Saints Cigars’ brands, Pegg is taking advantage of modern-day platforms and tools like Instagram and podcasts in order to connect with customers. He also doesn’t discount the value of face-to-face interactions, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pegg tries to spend as much time as he can in stores where he can tell both his own story as well as that of his brand. “You’re only as good as your last visit, your last story or the last time somebody smoked your cigar,” he says. “The competition out there is so strong, and a lot of people are coming up with innovative ideas and innovative things.” Innovation and how to differentiate All Saints Cigars from other brands on the market are something Pegg spends a lot of time thinking about. He knows that brand fatigue is a real issue among consumers you’re only as good as your last visit, your last story or the last time somebody smoked your cigar. —micky Pegg