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it’s a pure indulgence, similar to cigars,” Frederik Vander-
marliere explains. “A cigar is a moment of relaxation—a
chance to disconnect from the world. People will continue
to enjoy cigars because they need that moment of relax-
ation and of disconnection.”
Working with family can present its own challenges,
but it also teaches some valuable business lessons. For
example, partners need to have an understanding of one
another, and good communication is key. Also, being
able to separate business and family and not allow either
to negatively impact the other is important. Frederik
Vandermarliere describes a long-held family agreement
in which any family member involved in the business
agrees to sell their shares of J. Cortès back to the com-
pany after turning 65 if they have no child active in the
business. Vandermarliere’s father bought shares from
one of his brothers in this way.
“We still have family parties and still get along. That
is really fantastic—to have the combination of a success-
ful business, buying out business partners who are fami-
ly members and still having a good family relationship,”
says Frederik Vandermarliere.
EXPANDING THE FAMILY
As CEO of J. Cortès, Frederik Vandermarliere is lead-
ing the company into the next generation with the les-
sons learned from his father and family over the years. In
2012, he got to know the Oliva family and saw synergy
between that family and his own. Like the Vandermar-
lieres, the Olivas have worked together as a family for
generations and have a passion for tobacco. Though J.
Cortès acquired Oliva, Frederik Vandermarliere sees it
more as a partnership and joining of two similar families
united by similar beliefs and values.
“I look for good partnerships among family business-
es. The family values go above everything,” he explains.
“The good thing is that, through all the discussions we
had, the respect was there, the understanding was there,
and there was a common vision: to grow the business in
the same way they had always done before.”
It’s been over a year since the acquisition was
announced, and in the view of retailers and consum-
ers, it has been business as usual. The Oliva branding
remains unchanged, no one from the Oliva team has
left, and the brand has retained its status. Frederik Van-
dermarliere says this was always the intent because this
wasn’t strictly a business move; it was about two fami-
lies coming together with one common story. One fac-
tor, he says, will keep J. Cortès and Oliva growing and
successful: passion.
“We have so much to do with Oliva that you can’t
do everything at once. In the U.S. market, the things
that Oliva can still do within the premium segment is
amazing. We need to focus on this at the moment,” says
Frederik Vandermarliere.
Though he is passionate about J. Cortès and its own
products, Frederik Vandermarliere currently has no
plans for J. Cortès in the U.S. market. He knows the
company’s European cigars would struggle to overcome
the machine-made stigma within the U.S. Rather than
try to launch products that wouldn’t be a good fit, he
has the utmost confidence in Oliva and their brands—
and he wants them to remain the focus for now.
TB
J. Cortès
Continued
(from left to right)
Gilberto Oliva Jr.,
Frederik Vandermarliere,
and José Oliva