74 TOBACCO BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER | 22 Rocky Patel is a man on a mission: He wants to make cigar smoking exciting for a new generation.Asa longtime brand owner and one of the cigar industry’s most recognizable faces and personalities, Patel is a businessman with the future in his sights. He knows the challenges the cigar lifestyle faces and has his opinions on what’s keeping the industry from overcoming its challenges. He also isn’t waiting on anyone to come and save the day. He’s more than willing to be the hero that the cigar industry is in need of. Patel is a master of branding and image. He rebels against stereotypes, like the one that the typical cigar smoker is old and lethargic. When speaking about cigars and where the industry needs to go, he states that he wants to make cigars into the new craft beer. He wants the cigar lifestyle to be seen as diverse, fun and hip, and full of life and welcoming to all. He has his sights set on the cigarette smoker and is determined to convince them to make the switch to cigars and embrace the finer things in life. “This is a beautiful cottage industry,” he explains. “It’s a handcrafted product; it’s a labor of love. It takes a lot of work to make a greatquality cigar. By the time we plant the seed in the ground, trying to get a cigar in a box takes four to five years. It’s very similar tomaking a fine bottle of wine or an aged scotch. We want to showcase this beautiful art form to everybody.” TheBusiness of Cigars Cigars have served as the foundation of Patel’s tobacco business since the mid-1990s. One thing he often relays to his employees and associates in the industry is that quality and high standards are what build a strong brand within the premium cigar world. “People don’t remember the 100 good cigars they’ve smoked; they remember the one bad one,” he explains. “I think we have some of the most meticulous standards of quality control at our factories.” Patel knows that the best way for people to understand what makes his cigars different is to see the cigar making process for themselves. Each year, he offers tours of his cigar factories, knowing that nothing beats an in-person experience. During these tours, people are able to see the strict quality control standards every cigar is put through and how Patel’s company crafts consistent premium cigars each year. The tours give people insight into just how meticulous and strict Patel is when it comes to the cigars that bear his name. “Every single cigar we make goes through a draw test machine. If it doesn’t pass the draw test or if it’s too loose or too tight, we destroy the cigar,” says Patel. Patel doesn’t believe in compromising on quality, even if it costs him and his company profit as a result. Like many cigar makers, Patel noticed a big uptick in demand for premium cigars following the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s always preferred carrying a big inventory in the company’s warehouse and is not a fan of “selling from an empty wagon,” as he puts it. His company waswell-prepared for the boomin cigar sales that followed the pandemic, but today he doesn’t feel like he has enough product. Even with this revelation, compromising onquality just to keepupwithdemand isn’t an option for Patel. “We’re backordered out ofNicaragua two and a halfmillion cigars. I’mback ordered in Honduras [for] four and a half million cigars, but we’re not going to rush anything,” he says. “My name is on the cigar. Quality is consistency, and that’s long-term longevity. In order to have long-term success, you’ve just got to stick to your guns and stick to the quality.” When someone smokes a Rocky Patel-produced premium cigar, Patel wants that customer to be taken on an adventure and wants them to view the cigar as something unique and fun. The experience Patel is setting out to create goes well beyond cigars. Patel wants to bring more people into the world of cigars, something he’s accomplishing with the help of Burn by Rocky Patel. MakingRetail Cool Again Initially, Patel’s goal withBurnwas to build a placewhere people like himcould enjoy a cigar. As a business owner in the cigar industry, Patel traveled often to cities likeManhattan, Chicago and Las Vegas and noticed a common problem: After enjoying a good meal, there was often a desire to go and smoke a cigar with business associates and other friends. The problem was that there were few places to go where one could smoke a cigar in public. Cigarettes were often allowed in bars and lounges, but many of these establishments had rules against smoking cigars. Then there were those that didn’t allow any tobacco products, making the cigar smoker a true outcast. “When you get to be our age, you don’t want to go into a nightclub with bottle service and loud music where you can’t talk to a buddy and can’t do anything. There was really no venue where you could eat and enjoy a fine R Rocky Patel launched his chain of upscale cigar lounges and bars named Burn after finding a lack of venues around the country where people like him could come and enjoy a fine cigar and drink.
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