68 TOBACCO BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER | 22 tobacco, the more inconsistent the overall blend will be. This was not acceptable toAlmonte, so he decided to try to overcome this issue by growing his own tobacco. ADifferent Approach toBlending Almonte’s blending process centers around flavor, complexity and balance. He enjoys experimenting with different tobacco combinations to see what sort of blends he can create. Tobacco grown in Ecuador typically makes for a good wrapper, and those from other countries like Brazil, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. are good for filler. Regardless of what combination is created, Almonte’s blending process always has the same end-goal: consistency, which is hard to achieve whenrelyingontobaccogrownbyothercompanies. That is the reason why a part of his business strategy from the early days of DBL Cigars has been to growhis own tobacco—it allows his blends to remain consistent year after year. “We use 65 percent of the tobacco that we grow in our two tobacco fields,” he reveals. “We grow Piloto Cubano, Corojo 1999. Many people don’t want to grow Piloto Cubano because it’s very tough to work with and because of the threat of blue mold.” In all, Almonte’s company grows seven different kinds of tobacco in the Dominican Republic, and when a blend requires it, his companywill purchase tobacco grown elsewhere on an as-needed basis. He’s confident that the cigar lines that he has and the products that are released are his best work and works hard to communicate to the industry why that’s the case.When he first launched his company in 2013, a retailer asked him why his store should carry his then-new cigar brand. Rather than give hima direct answer, Almonte chose to give the retailer a challenge to prove his point. “I asked him to remove the label from one of my cigars and said to him that I wanted to buy five cigars that he liked. I said, ‘Let’s remove those labels, and let’s give one of each to every consumer that comes in. He did just that and guess what? The people liked our cigars. Why? Becausewe focus on something thatmany people like: flavor, good draw, good construction.” The tobaccos used in DBL’s cigars are wellaged and also undergo a double fermentation process. This double fermentation is especially important for those tobaccos that are purchased fromother growers as it helps it to reach a level of quality that Almonte demands from the tobacco he grows on his own. Flavor is another area of the blending process that Almonte is obsessed with. “You’re never going to find a DBL cigar without flavor,” he proclaims. Few retailers and consumers get to visit Tamboril and see Almonte and his team at work creating the blends. This leads back to that question of “Why should I buy DBL cigars?” To address this question, Almonte has developed his own approach tomarketing his brand that works for him. Early on, he was advised to promote his company and products with print and social media advertising. What gets the best results in terms of promotion, however, is getting in touch directly with the consumers and educating them on the brand and also his own life experiences. “I think this is the best way to promote today,” he states. “When they see the person who is behind that brand, talking, working, hosting a seminar and rolling cigars, they appreciate the product, and demand increases. That’s how we’ve grown organically.” At DBL’s rolling events, Almonte has several different things he sets out to achieve. The overall goal isn’t to sell products but to educate consumers about the company and how its products are made. Almonte talks about the seeds that are planted, the tobacco fields, the growing process and what happens to the tobacco during the fermentation and aging stages. Almonte’s learned a great deal about tobacco and cigar making since he first entered the business, and these in-person seminars are the best venue and platform to communicate his experiences and knowledge to consumers. “When theyget that kindof seminarwhere there is information provided that is very difficult to get online or in social media, they appreciate that,” he explains. “And when you make a cigar in front of them with different blends and they try a freshly rolled cigar, it is like going to a bakery and buying some fresh bread; it’s a different experience.” Communication is a part of the marketing and sales process many brands and retailers don’t spend enough time on, Almonte goes on to explain. Being able to speak confidently about what makes DBLCigarsunique iskeytothecompany’s in-store success. Also, knowing how to merchandise it properly in a store is key. If a retailer states that they like DBL, Almonte encourages them to recommend it to their customers and place it in a nice position on the shelf or in their humidor. To many consumers, DBL may be a new brand to them and it needs to be talked about so that consumers can learn more about it. Those retailers that follow Almonte’s advice ultimately havemore success with its products. Almonte believes innovation can still occur within the traditional cigar industry, such as making cigars in unexpected vitolas unique to DBL Cigars, like the baseball bat-shaped vitola he introduced years ago.
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