Tobacco Business

We’ll bring in samples. We’ll learn about their story. We’ll get to know the personality and the people behind it, why they’re doing it, who it’s for. And then we’ll sit around and blind test not only with the family but with additional people who we will rotate through this testing committee. We’ll see if the product stands on its own. For us, it’s a huge risk taking someone in that no one’s ever heard of, so we have to really be diligent. Many boutique manufacturers just want to be in as many retailers as possible because in their mind that equals growth, but being in the right retailers really helps their brand grow. If the brand has passed the quality personality process and overall brand story test, then we’ll take them through a launch program. So, ultimately, the most important elements are product, personality, process and the brand’s story. What value do boutique cigar brands bring to your store? Harvey: For Smokers Abbey Austin, they are of immense value as we primarily only carry boutiques. In the beginning, we carried a few “well-known” brands that frankly didn’t sell, the reason being people really were more interested in the cigars we carried that they really couldn’t find anywhere else. Within the first year, we shifted our entire focus onto smaller companies doing innovative and quality work, and we have run that play for the last three and a half years. Kelly: It gives our customers other options to choose from besides brands they already know. I equate it to when I buy wine. I have well-known wines that I love and buy, but I also like to try the lesser- known brands. It’s the same way when it comes to cigars. It’s fun to try something new, and maybe you will find a new favorite. Hayes: They allow me the opportunity to share unique experiences with my customers. There’s great value in having consistent products on the shelf, but it’s also important to have a few new limited or rare options to share with your customers. It keeps things exciting for us and them, and that’s important. Anstead: The best value in a boutique cigar is that it should be an item that you might have some exclusivity in the market making it a brand that if a customer enjoys and wants to continue smoking that we are not competing with other stores or online. Frakes: For us, it’s huge. We have a good balance of big and little guys, but we focus primarily on the boutique cigars. What it offers Kathleen Kelly | Queensbury Cigar & Pipe Wayne Anstead | Anstead's Tobacco Company our customers is a better bang for their buck and trying something that’s different. If we have a Romeo [y Julieta] cigar smoker or a Montecristo or fill in the blank of the big guys, we ask our customer, “What do you like about it? Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s going to be, “I’m not sure. I like the flavor, and it’s smooth,” and 99 percent of the time, that’s it. But boutique [cigars], especially those who do it right, offer depth, and they offer consistency because they have no choice but to produce the best cigars they can produce every single time. Those first impressions are eternal. It gives us buy-in and connection to the manufacturers and the owners. Ultimately, it gives us the ability to put something new into the hands of a customer that hasn’t experienced a truly exceptional cigar—they’ve only really smoked the cigars that they may have had at a wedding or some other special occasion. But for us, the value is massive. I don’t think we’d be at the point where we are without a heavy influence and lifelong partnerships with boutique manufacturers. What do the best boutique brands do well? Where do you think they struggle or need improvement? Harvey: There is less of a focus on appealing to “everyone,” and instead I believe boutique brands busy themselves with making cigars that get them excited. That is why most of the best ones are so good at staying consistent—because the audience they are ultimately trying to please is very small, so there aren’t the same humongous tendencies that bog down the bigger names in our industry. Kelly: I was speaking to a broker who deals exclusively with boutique blends, and I found it interesting that he said his biggest problem with getting shops to carry boutiques is that a lot of shops say they [ 76 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER | 21 ]