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got to have a relationship with your customer,” Morgan
explains. “It’s not like you’re just selling nuts and bolts and
as long as they work people don’t care about them. People
in the pipe community care about their hobby. They care
about the pipe makers and the pipes they make, and they
care about their pipe tobacco.”
Understanding the motivations of both pipe manufac-
turers and consumers is key to building those connections.
Morgan explains that pipe makers and manufacturers aren’t
necessarily in the industry in hopes of becoming multi-
millionaires. They’re in the pipe business because they like
the pipe community, and they are proud to be a part of
it. Also, connecting directly to consumers is essential. Even
though a majority of Missouri Meerschaum’s business is
done through wholesalers, advertising its corncob pipes to
other businesses and to consumers is important. Morgan
has found that more interest for its products can be created
by reaching out to consumers who will go into the tobac-
co retail stores looking for their products. Once custom-
ers request the product, if the store doesn’t carry Missouri
Meerschaum’s pipes, the owner will often reach out directly
to the company to place an order, knowing there’s interest
and a demand for this one-of-a-kind product.
Another area where there has been a lot of positive change
is with the pipe community embracing social media. Mor-
gan says that over the years he’s seen the undeniable impact
Missouri
Meerschaum
Continued
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