TOB Magazine

That commitment to engaging with the

company’s stakeholders is central to Broers-

ma’s management philosophy, he says. “I like

to talk to the people in any location, as that

is how you get the feeling about what is hap-

pening in the organization. I need to see those

smiles to be sure we are on the right path.”

By all accounts, his energetic approach to

building his company’s brands—and making

a name for himself—in the American pre-

mium cigar market has paid off. Enthusiasm

and excitement around General Cigar has

been steadily building, and Broersma says the

company has plenty of runway left to contin-

ue that trajectory. The future looks bright for

General Cigar,” he asserts. “We’ve hit our

stride, and we’re unstoppable. Our employ-

ees are empowered. Retailers and consumers

are looking at the company and our brands

in a new light. We’ve taken a leadership role

in ensuring the category is well-positioned for

the future. We’ll continue to focus on partner-

ing with retailers, maintaining the vitality of

the category through innovation and [remain-

ing] steadfast in our commitment to delivering

the world’s finest cigars. Now just sit back and

watch us get it done.”

In the interview that follows, Regis Broersma shares

his insights on premium cigars, the U.S. market,

U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration

(FDA) regulation and more.

ON GLOBAL TRENDS…

You’ve worked in six countries. How do

cigar markets compare globally?

What

have you learned from your interna-

tional market experiences?

Having worked now in the U.S. (two times), the

Netherlands (two times), the Czech Republic

and Slovakia, Germany, the United Kingdom

and Denmark, I have experienced the differ-

ences in consumer taste preferences and the

way they are drawn to certain brands. Basical-

ly the difference with the U.S. is that many of

the brands on the market have been made just

for the U.S. market. In markets where Cuban

cigars have been readily available, the consum-

er preference has shifted. In a market like Ger-

many, the trends are very clear: Honduran,

Dominican and Nicaraguan brands are win-

ning against Cuban brands.

The U.S. brands are now being market-

ed and distributed in countries outside of the

U.S. market, and cigar lovers in these coun-

tries are choosing to expand and try new

tastes from brands that sell well in the U.S.

Macanudo is a perfect example because the

brand is growing very well outside of the

U.S., competing and winning against Cuban

cigars. It sparks the interest of our HMC team

to try something new, explore new tastes and

deliver the unexpected. [It’s the] same in oth-

er main cigar countries like Spain, Canada

and France—all are markets where we are

winning with our strong brands.

What I have learned most from my inter-

national experiences might not surprise you:

Every country has its own uniqueness, its own

culture, its own way of communicating and its

own sense of design, brand connection and

taste profile. What works for a Czech might

not work for a German or for a Brit. With

handmade cigars, we are in a unique posi-

tion that we can tailor our cigars to those local

needs, like we do in the U.S. I learned to adapt;

I learned to listen and not presume that what

works in one country will work in another.

What current trends or

preferences have you observed

among cigar smokers?

I spend a lot of time visiting cigar shops and

meeting with retailers and cigar smokers.

What I’m seeing is a return to the classics.

The proliferation of boutique brands is caus-

ing fatigue, and that’s fueling a desire for tried-

and-true brands, brands that the cigar smoker

can count on. As a result of this shift, we have

taken bold steps to redefine our classic brands.

Macanudo is a case in point. We mod-

ernized the brand’s iconic logo last year and

then launched Macanudo Inspirado Orange,

which was previously only available outside

the U.S. This new taste profile shifted the per-

ception of the brand. Where Macanudo was

once seen as a line of mild cigars, it now has

a more Cuban-esque flavor profile, and retail-

ers and cigar smokers have taken notice in a

big way. We’re enjoying double-digit growth

on Macanudo as a result. With the expansion

of the Inspirado franchise to include Inspirado

Black and White, these new introductions are

fueling a halo effect on the brand. Macanudo

has its swagger back.

Where it makes sense strategically, we are

reimagining the equities of our classic brands

with a modern lens. Partagás 1845 is anoth-

er example. We’ve made the brand more rele-

vant to our retailers and consumers by updat-

ing the look and evolving the blends to feature

the tobaccos and taste profiles that are most in

demand among today’s smokers.

Also, I do see a trend where the [brick-and-

mortar] (B&M) community is looking for true

partners. Partners that not only come in and

try to make a sale but also help with sales, edu-

cation, events, hard goods, merchandising, etc.

General Cigar is there as that partner. In the

past, we came away from being a partner, but

now we are committed to working hand in

hand with our retailers. When we changed our

focus over the last two years, in the beginning I

said that most retailers probably think, “Yeah,

yeah, sounds good, but let’s talk again in six

months.” Now they see a new General Cigar,

and we are back in a big way.

Where do you personally enjoy

smoking a cigar—and which cigars

are you enjoying most these days?

I enjoy smoking the most in a social gathering—

I am not a person who smokes a cigar when

alone in a chair, thinking over the day and

the world’s problems. I enjoy smoking a cigar

when I'm with like-minded lovers of hand-

made cigars—especially with people from my

teams after being in the office, being in the field

or being on a factory visit. I like that bonding

aspect. We love handmade cigars, we love the

moment, we share that passion for tobacco, and

we appreciate the hard work and time that goes

into making a handmade cigar. This can also

be with people from the industry—competitors

and our customers—or with consumers. It’s

about that shared passion and appreciation—

and even better when I’m having my cigar with

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