Tobacco Business

[ 84 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER | 21 ] TOBACCONIST CALDWELL’S MAD MOFO BENEFITS CIGARS FOR WARRIORS Operation: Cigars for Warriors (CFW) is proud to announce the second cigar manufacturer that has committed to the Operation: Cigars for Warriors Synergy Program, Caldwell Cigars. CFW’s president , Storm Boen, interviews brand owner Rober t Caldwell about his company, its cigars and the upcoming exclusive collaboration, Mad Mofo CFW Limited Edition. S Storm Boen: I’m excited to do this interview and appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule todo it.Of course, I’m even more excited about the upcoming collaboration of the new Mad Mofo CFW limited edition. We will visit more about that later. What I would like to know ismore about you. To start things out, where were you born and raised? Robert Caldwell: It is my pleasure to do this interview with you. Operation: Cigars for Warriors has a big place in my heart. I was born and raised here in Miami. What did you do before Caldwell Cigars? I went to college through my sophomore year, got bored and dropped out. After that, I got my commercial real estate license and worked everything from sales to development. Around the end of my tenure of doing real estate, I was doing a side job. I started selling cigars to hotels and restaurants, and surprisingly I did very well. Why did you go from the lucrative business of real estate, especially during the boom in Miami, to selling cigars to hotels and restaurants? I get bored easily, and I hate over-structure. Dealing in real estate was all that and more, not to mention, I did not like all the shadiness that goes on in that type of environment. Plus, I was really enjoying my side business of selling cigars. I think this was my coming-to- Jesus moment: the freedom of schedule, no structure and seeing as far as I could. When did you enter into the world of premium cigar manufacturing? In 2011, I went to work with Christian Eiroa for a year at the factory. Christian and I had very different business and life philosophies, so I left and started Caldwell Cigars. I left on friendly terms, and I still consider him a good man and friend. Tell me something about you that most people may not know. Well, I don’t think a lot of people likeme. [Laughs]. Why do you think that? Many feel I’m not emotional enough and/ or that I’m not empathetic, or even that I’m emotionally detached. Also because of my size, my natural quietness and my habits of