46 TOBACCO BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER | 22 It was in the final days of 2021 when it was announced that Joshua and Cynn Coburn would be taking over as the owners of Dissident Cigars. Dissident Cigars has undergone several changes in ownership since its launch in 2013. The brand itself has earned a reputation for its alternative and edgy marketing. While some brands strive to be more traditional with the use of gold, red and regal colors, Dissident leans more into street art and attitude. The logo is a distressed font that looks more spray-painted than it is written, and instead of a family crest, there’s a big, bold lightning bolt that’s front and center in some of the company’s marketing collateral. The color scheme is also darker; red, black and white are typically the only colors used in the cigar’s packaging and band artwork. It’s clear that Dissident is a brand for a new generation of cigar smokers, and that was part of the appeal for the Coburns when they were presented with the opportunity to become the brand’s newest owners. Prior to purchasing Dissident, theCoburnswere serial entrepreneurs who had made a name for themselves as motivational speakers. Before becoming the owners of their own brand, many in the cigar industry knew the Coburns for their branding and marketing skills and services. With their experienceworkingwith cigars, the Coburns saw Dissident as a new challenge they wanted to take on. Dissident wasn’t a new brand, so they knew they had an entirely different set of obstacles and challenges ahead of them. Retailers knew of Dissident, but the various changes in ownership over the years left some with questions and doubts that the Coburns had to address. For consumers, Dissident was a boutique brand they were already smoking, but the question was how would the Coburns expand on what had already been released? The Coburns bought the brand knowing it was going to be an investment in their time, money and resources and wouldn’t necessarily be a money-maker. This realizationwould scaremany buyers off, but for the Coburns—who’ve launched and operated plenty of successful businesses— they realized they had a passion for cigars that would outweigh many of the reasons not to get involved in the cigar industry. In the story that follows, the Coburns share how their work to motivate and help people in general led them to Nicaragua and the world of cigars—and the ultimate non-monetary perk of launching a premium cigar business today. TheMotivational Path toCigars Before they took the reins at Dissident cigars, Joshua and Cynn Coburn’s professional lives were built around helping people. Cynn spent a number of years running a facility for at-riskboys. Here, she helped rehabilitate troubled youth and made sure they were ready to reintegrate with society after their two-year stay in her facility. She later worked with the elderly, both through a law firm and through elderly care. “From kids to adults, I’ve just tried to make sure that everybody feels loved,” she explains. “My husband is a motivational speaker; he did that for 20 years. I jumped into that with him for the last couple years.” It was during a family vacation to Nicaragua that the Coburns unexpectedly stumbled into yet another industry and profession. The Coburns had traveled to Nicaragua to visit Oveja Negra, the cigar factory owned and operated by James and Angela Brown. The Coburns fell in love with Estelí and San Juan del Sur, a town situated on Nicaragua’s southwest coast where the Browns live. COVID-19 changed their plans slightly and turned what was meant to be a vacation into more of an extended stay and later into a complete relocation. The Coburns’ children asked their parents to considermoving toNicaragua permanently. Taken aback, the Coburns didn’t object to the suggestion. Instead, they challenged their children to do more research on what a move to Nicaragua would involve and whether it was something the family really should consider. After amonth, the kidswere still pushing for amove toNicaragua. TheCoburns sold everything they had, including their cars and personal belongings, packed a suitcase and their pets, andmadeNicaragua their newhome. I In 2021, Cynn and Joshua Coburn acquired Dissident Cigars, a boutique brand manufactured in Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
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