72 TOBACCO BUSINESS | MAY / JUNE | 22 formulate a SWOT analysis—that stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. When I had that SWOT analysis, it gaveme a clearer vision of focusing on quality over quantity.” Although the SWOT analysis was important and remains a key driver for how James set up and conducted his business, it did not eliminate all of Vorieo’s early challenges of being a new brand. Every retailer is different and has to be viewed as a new opportunity. Understanding this and the importance of communicating the value of your brand to retailers is crucial for every company, especially those that are newer to the market. “You have to reestablish the relationship or rapport with those individuals, and you have to sell them on your brand equity,” he says. With the brand equity defined and the SWOT analysis complete, James had a good foundation in place for his new company. Now it was time to create a line of products that would set Vorieo apart fromall the other cigars on the market. TheMagicNumber James knew how important it was to have as much control over the production process as possible. For that reason, he invested in his own cigar factory early on. While the Dominican Republic-based factory is small, it allows for him to produce his own cigars and to scale as needed. In the beginning, James made small quantities of cigars because he was unsure of how the market would respond to his new brand. Before any cigars were made, James made sure he had a good grasp on the basics of cigar production, such as what sizes were most popular in retail. After some research, he realized it was important to produce at least three or four different sizes of cigars for consumers to choose from. While figuring out the magic number of sizes didn’t take long, the actual development of theblendswasadifferent story. Jamesbeganhisblendcreation by first identifying the type of cigars already on the market that he enjoyed smoking. From there, he tried creating different blends that reminded him of the cigars he’s smoked and fallen in love with over the years. Once he had some samples in hand, he had a panel smoke through them and provide him with feedback. That feedback helped himmake adjustments to the blends that weren’t considered ready for market until the entire panel gave their approval. TheVorieo 1KVI:XXIXGoldmaduro stands out as James’ personal favorite from his company’s portfolio. This particular blend was inspired by the Bible verse 1 Kings 6:29 that reads, “And he carved all the walls of the house round aboutwithcarvedfigures of cherubimandpalmtrees andopenflowers, within and without.” Vorieo 1KVI:XXIX Gold maduro has a dark and oily wrapper leaf grown in Indonesia and long filler tobaccos that deliver a smooth, bold array of flavors meant to stimulate the entire palate. A popular Vorieo cigar in retail is the Junkanoo, which is named after a holiday and festival created by enslaved African American and Native American descendants. “Junkanoo is very popular amongst retail,” says James. “It’s a barber-stripe pole Habano and Connecticut wrapper that has been combined together. I think it’s amiddle ground for the novice smoker; that’s why it does well. On the other side, it does verywell because you have connoisseurs who are looking for something that’s a little bit bolder but smoother at the same time.” Rounding out Vorieo’s premium cigar portfolio is the Duck & Sun and the Vorieo 1KVI:XXIX Platinum. Each blend can stand on its own, and together all of Vorieo’s products are priced to allow the retailers to make money. Part of James’ initial research was centered around pricing in the premium cigar industry. What he realized was that a lot of products were, in his opinion, overpriced and left the retailer with little opportunity to make money. That’s something he wanted to change with Vorieo.
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