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Tell us about the loyalty club you launched
last year? What led to that? How does it work?
What kind of reception has it received?
These days, brand loyalty seems to be a luxury and we
wouldn’t be where we are without the customers who will
only buy our products. We launched the loyalty program
as a way to have more of a connection with those custom-
ers and bring a little bit of fun to the category. Between the
loyalty program and other promotions, it has increased
the positive interaction between consumers and us.
When we spoke at TPE 2017, you mentioned
doing a lot of business at the show. Was that
across categories or are some performing
particularly well for you?
All of our lines—pipe tobacco, filtered cigars and
tubes—exceeded our expectations at the 2017 Tobacco
Plus Expo. The OHM line of pipe tobacco has a large
following, so our success at the show was attributed to
both our existing clients and new customers getting
more and more requests.
You introduced Au Naturallé cigars in 2016.
What prompted you to launch a new cigar and
pipe tobacco line?
With the demand for additive-free products continuing
to grow, the Au Naturallé line fills a niche in the premium
pipe tobacco and filtered cigar segments. On the busi-
ness side, it also offers retailers the opportunity of higher
margins and a brand that gets away from the “me-too”
products prevalent in the marketplace. It’s been shown
time and time again that consumers are willing to pay
a little more for a product perceived as a higher quality.
What distinguishes it from OHM, 752 and the
rest of the offerings currently in the market-
place? What are your plans for its future?
Au Naturallé completes our “Good, Better, Best” spec-
trum of product offerings. Where 752 fills the economy
role and OHM has always been our flagship brand, Au
Naturallé is the final piece that gives our customers a
choice along all price points. There aren’t any concrete
plans in the works, but I believe Au Naturallé would al-
low us an opportunity for more exotic blends.
Your 752 brand of pipe tobacco and cigars
is targeted at value-conscious smokers.
How price-conscious are cigarette
and cigar smokers?
Regardless of the market segment, there will always be
consumers looking for a high-quality, value product and
smokers aren’t any different. Personally, I believe smok-
ers are quality-driven first, then [price-driven]. That’s
how we approached 752—the best blends at an afford-
able price.
Where 752 fills
the economy
role and OHM
has always
been our flag-
ship brand, Au
Naturallé is the
final piece that
gives our cus-
tomers a choice
along all price
points.
Au Naturallé Filtered Cigars
are made from high-quality,
preservative- and addi-
tive-free Golden Virginia
tobacco blends.