Tobacco Business

about 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. We went through a bottle of bourbon, and out of nowhere [came] the name ‘cannoli.’ From that day forward, the Cannoli was born, and for this reason I would say the original box-pressed Red Cannoli will always hold a special place in my heart,” shares Monaco. Finally, Amendola Family Cigar Company has a sweet, infused cigar called Dessert, which is popular with many of its customers. This cigar is presented as a Lonsdale vitola and is dipped in sugar and aged and infused with hazelnut. Finding and deciding which factories to work with was also key in how Amendola and Monaco scaled their brand. Much of the selection process was trial and error, Amendola explains. They worked with a few factories before they found the right ones to move forward with. Much like Amendola and Monaco, the factory partners were the right fit when Amendola and Monaco felt they wanted the brands to succeed and were willing to work with them to take their blends and quality control to the next level. During the entire search for factory partners, both business- men were willing to continue searching until they found someone that met their standards. Building and maintaining strong relationships has been a focus since the start of Amendola Family Cigar Company and will remain so as Amendola and Mona- co continue to scale their business. Size Doesn’t Matter Though Amendola Family Cigar Company is small in size, neither Amendola nor Monaco embraces the boutique mentality. “Boutique” is a term Amendola has never been a fan of, he admits, and it isn’t a term he often applies to his own brand and business. The term “boutique” oftentimes refers to something small and specialized, but he has come to view it as a small business with limited production. “I never set out to be a boutique business, nor do I want to stay a small, boutique brand,” Amendola says. For his part, Monaco doesn’t focus as much on the label as he does the end goal: customer experience and impression. “I could really care less as to what ‘label’ we are branded within the industry,” he says. “Some say ‘small-batch,’ some say ‘boutique.’ I say we are ‘Amendola.’ Just as long as every person that lights up our cigars enjoys their experience, appreciates our hard work and craft, and respects the brand, we’re happy. If you think big, you won’t stay small forever.” The size of the company doesn’t shield them from the many challenges all cigar businesses face. Amendola and Monaco have maneuvered around obstacles by focusing on budgets, sacrifices and not taking on more than they can handle. Amendola gives a lot of credit to his business partner, Monaco, for taking on the responsibility of their brand’s budget and money management. “Over the years, we have both invested our savings and gave everything we had into our company,” says Amendola. “Chris has done an exceptional job of making the finances work for us.” Being 100 percent self-funded and not having outside investors was important to both businessmen, who always want to be in full control of their brand. It does have its drawbacks, especially when it comes to increasing production. This doesn’t worry Monaco too much, however, as he firmly believes that slow and steady wins the race. “I am lucky to have found the right partner in Jeff, who built a solid foundation for us to start with,” he says. “From the jump, he was open-minded and trusted in the vision I had for the brand’s future. He agreed to all the new ideas I brought to the table and changes I felt were necessary for us to reach our full potential. This made me extremely confident in moving forward together as a team. No questions asked, he trusted me to take the ball and run with it, and for that I am grateful.” Working together and leveraging each other’s strengths is a major part of Amendola Family Cigar Company’s growth strategy. Amendola schedules the majority of the company’s rolling events and handles the procurement of raw tobacco needed for those events as well as anything else related to tobacco. Monaco oversees matters that relate to the business’s finances, sales, logistics, marketing and branding. They both share in certain responsibilities, including blend development, factory and retail relations, and the company’s overall day-to-day operations. The two have developed a great working and personal relationship over the years and consider one another to be family rather than co-workers. “We lean on each other’s strengths and are happy for each other’s successes,” says Monaco. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who does what, or who gets credit for what, just as long as it gets done. That’s all either of us really care about. Jeff knows what he’s good at, I know what I’m good at, and we both trust in each other to do what we need to do to make the brand as successful as possible.” [ 54 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER | 21 ]