(mellow music) (mellow music continues) (mellow music continues) - There's a story inside every smoke shop, with every cigar, and with every person. Come be a part of the cigar lifestyle at Boveda. This is "Box Press." - Remon Mansour, CigarBros. It was fun yesterday walking at the other end of the pavilion seeing this massive display of CigarBros, and seeing you with your team and thinking about the experience. How many years ago at TP would've been? It would've been?
- Yeah, I think it's been four years, about four years. - So before the pandemic and all that? - Yep, yep, yep. - And you had an idea? - That's right, yep. I remember I walked up, of course, we've distributed Boveda for a long time. And I saw you at the booth, looking at Boveda, and I went and introduced myself to you, and had a conversation and I shared my idea. - Well, and you had diagrams, and you had schematics of what your idea was.
And you said, I think specifically it was, "I want to create a self-contained humidor that can be placed in non-traditional locations to distribute cigars." - That's right. - And, "I want Boveda to be involved. We wanna have the preservation aspect of it handled for the consumer." And there's a lot of people that have a lot of ideas. And, I don't know, there was just something about your earnestness. Yeah, I told Jay [Fifield] about it, and then you started dealing with Jay.
And I don't know that it happened instantly, but you went from that concept to rolling out a beta test, at least, in a relatively short period of time. I mean, you had to order things and deal with all the details. But I think within a couple of years you had started this CigarBros. - Yeah, yep. - It wasn't called CigarBros back then. - So me and my brothers own a few- - Cash & Carry. - Two Cash & Carry's in San Diego. And I think when I met you, I don't even think we had a name for it yet.
I wanna say it was early, maybe it was February, 2019, I wanna say. And we had just received our first prototype, and we're still in the testing phase. And remember, we had a humidor program in San Diego since 2004, local one. And I've always been intrigued with kind of the challenge of getting cigars placed in just non-traditional places. And when you see, you know, the trend in those places, it's rewarding for a guy like me.
Me and my brothers, we launched, you know, a ton of stuff with every category, you know, beverage, candy, snacks. And the birth of this idea was, as we were expanding our cigar selection out of Cash & Carry and taking a look at our current humidor program locally, I said, "Man, it hasn't changed," since 2004 to 2019, it didn't evolve. So the idea came to me in 2018 where I said, "You gotta have more variety, but it's gotta be fresh, and there has to be no question." But how do you do that?
Where do you start? That's all I knew. That if someone's gonna carry cigars, or actually if someone's gonna buy cigars and be happy about it, that there has to be enough selection to choose from the best brands. And then, the freshness cannot be a question. You just gotta know that it's fresh. And so that's when I got to work. And the birth really, in 2018, was an acrylic version, vertical standing. And we did a prototype and all this.
But, just personally, I didn't pull the trigger on that, because I wasn't comfortable with the idea that someone is gonna be happy to constantly buy from an acrylic humidor. That the freshness can't be a question. You just gotta know that it's fresh. So I figured there's gotta be these self-contained, climate-controlled units. And so we went out and sourced one.
I actually flew out to China, this is the factory, the best one we can find, that was willing to modify it to be more commercial grade, do the vertical, pull-out drawers, and everything that's geared for commercial use. And then, got my prototype. And then, that's what I showed you in 2019. And no intention really of going outside of San Diego with it. - Right. - But just wanted to see if we can change how and where cigars are being sold. Like, how far can we push it?
And, man, you were so gracious. Like, you know, as a entrepreneur, it's tough, it's very lonely. It's a tough journey when you got an idea and you're trying to go after it. And you guys were just, I told you about it. And I said, "Hey, I think there's a place for us where, you know, Boveda and freshness is hand-in-hand, and that's what we're trying to provide." And so the teamwork was awesome. And we really, really appreciate it from day one.
- Well, and it's intriguing, because where my mind went in listening to your vision was this is really cool to have the opportunity to stand up a self-contained humidor in a liquor store, in a convenience store, at a golf course, I mean, depending on the market.
But I thought about how many places I've seen displays of cigars where, or even if I'm wandering around Las Vegas, if I see somebody selling cigars, today, there's more properly humidified storage facilities for cigars in the casinos in Las Vegas than there used to be. But you used to buy a 15, 20, $30 stick from somebody walking around a vendor in the casino, and you'd light it and you'd go, "This is awful. Because it's not protected, this is just terrible."
And I think of those different liquor stores that have a limited selection behind the counter because it's an impulse buy for somebody that's coming in on a Friday night. You know, it's just not intentional. It's just not right. I mean, congratulations. I mean, looking at these beautiful displays, substantial, I mean, the investment that you've made in the vehicle that you're delivering this service, and you're selling a service. You are the source for these cigars.
And you're giving people, literally giving people, the vessel that they're going to use. And it has to be durable, and it can't just be there for... It's not just a self-liquidating display that's gonna be thrown out in 30 days or whatever. So what an adventure. - Yeah, from the beginning, and even till now, my focus has always been on kind of the early stages in someone's relationship with cigars. I remember my own personal experience.
My first time smoking a cigar was at the Gaslamp District in Downtown San Diego. And it was at a cigar lounge, and I'm a college student. And, you know, I was always intrigued with cigars, never had one. Walked into a lounge, walked into their walk-in humidor, and I purchased an ACID Kuba Kuba. - Which is common for a lot of college students for their first cigar experience. - Exactly, exactly right. And, with the guys, and I just remember enjoying it so much, and that's it.
Ever since then, it's that feeling. And that's kind of the feeling I get when I enjoy it, it just takes me back to that every time. And so, in the flip side, we know this, if someone has a bad experience their first time, it's game over. You're so turned off. You know, I've heard it a million times- - Yeah, "I turned green, I got sick, I didn't like it. I never wanna do that again." - Exactly, and so I think that's a combination of the wrong stick or the wrong freshness.
So you gotta have the right cigar and it's gotta be fresh. And then, it's all about the atmosphere and, you know, environment. But when it's done right, that first experience is magical. And you ask any cigar guy, they always remember their first cigar. They always remember that first experience, what it felt like. So that's what I chase. That's kind of what was the birth of this and what fuels us to continue to always think about those early stages.
My customers, we've learned, is not necessarily the seasoned cigar guy. So now that we've expanded to 25 states. We're primarily in the liquor store, gas station, convenience store, hotels, golf courses. A lot of the guys, it's on the go, or it's the guy that never really thought about cigars, never even considered going to a cigar lounge, picking up his bottle of Jack Daniel's and saying, "You know, let me try a cigar." And so we, on purpose, made it approachable.
Displayed in a way where they can choose the right cigar. So likely we recommend if you're new, try a mild, mild to medium. A lot of ours we do our own tubing so they can see what they're buying rather than blind to, you know, just guessing their way. So from the rating, and the brand, and the flavor notes, they could make their best educated guess. And then, the beauty is if they made a good choice, the reward, like, no one guided them. They guided themself, they took it home, they enjoyed it.
And that feeling, I experienced it as well in wine. - Sure. - Go to Costco and no one's there to help you. You kind of make your best guess based on region, and based on maybe some ratings, and things like that. But when you take one home and you enjoy it, it's a rewarding feeling, right? And that's kind of the beginning relationship with that category. So you say, okay, maybe, you're a Dominican guy, maybe you're a Nicaraguan, maybe you like these shades versus others or sizes.
And that's the birth, that's kind of the start. And that's where my mind is constantly at, my mind is constantly at, what's happening there? Who's that guy? What is he picking up? And what can we learn from that so that we can continue to kind of guide people and build their relationship?
When I had this idea, and I took it to, you know, the guys at Altadis, I took it to the guys at General, the guys at Oliva, the guys at Rocky, the guys at Gurkha, they were all open to ideas and welcoming for a young guy, you know? And they were all there with me and with this concept. And so it's crazy how far we've come, but it couldn't have been done without, you know, the support of you guys. - So how old were you when we had that encounter? - Yeah, so let's say it was four years ago.
I was about 36, 35, 36. - So, I mean, I'm just so excited to walk over and look at your display and see this map of the territories that you've been able to serve, and the way this has grown for you. Is it exceeding your expectations of what you thought at the outset? Because you were thinking Southern California, local, because that's where your Cash & Carry serves. Did you carry all these cigars in the Cash & Carry in the first place? - Yeah, yeah, so we had the relationships.
We knew the brands. - That's significant. - But, you know, when I approached them with this concept, I said, "This is going to non-traditional retailers." And we bounced around ideas a lot too of, what should we place, how should we place it? And I did not expect a growth like this by any means.
And it's crazy, every territory we've gone in, we've learned that, you know, after about a year, it just starts, you know, this retailer's brother, or cousin, or friend- - Well, and they see it and it's almost like a referral program. - Yeah, exactly right. - So the intriguing thing to me is I would suspect you had a little bit of pushback possibly from a few people saying, "Oh, you're gonna steal business from brick-and-mortar retail. We can't do this because" blah, blah, blah.
But really you're not, if anything, you're indoctrinating people to an experience that's gonna perhaps cause them to go to a brick-and-mortar retailer. - Exactly, yeah. - And that's okay too, because you're serving those retailers that's a part of your service area, at least in Southern California where you're based. But now you've gone national. I mean, you've gone, how far have you gone? I mean, I didn't study the map. I mean, it's grown significantly.
I don't know to what extent, but how many? - So last year, when we were here at PCA, we were licensed in five states. We just started distributing- - Five states last year? - In the West Coast. And then, based on just interest from retailers, we would open up distribution licenses in more states and continue to add. Right now we're licensed in 25. We have humidors in 25 states, and I think we have eight states pending just waiting for distribution. - Massive growth. - Yeah, unreal.
I'm blessed, yeah. - How fun. - Thank God, it's been- - How'd the brothers take it? That was your pet idea, right? And I can imagine in a family, I used to work with my brothers and there's all, I mean, no one's harder on you than your brothers with your ideas. I mean, and nobody's gonna go to battle with you either and help you like a brother. How did they take it? - You know, since the beginning, fully supportive, man.
And we have this relationship where, you know, I can always go to my brothers and I can discuss ideas, and they just kind of help me think things through. You know, I've got an idea and they're like a compass, literally. We take an idea and they love it and they've got an instinct. I have three older brothers, so I'm the youngest of the four. And they all have this instinct where they just know, "Hey, absolutely, we love it, we got you. Maybe tweak it that direction."
And so they helped to unlock these ideas. And, man, we still work together every day. It's a blessing, you know, it's unbelievable. - It's a really cool story. And I got choked up when I was talking to you yesterday, because you turned in front of your whole team and you said, "This is the first guy that believed in me, or believed in this idea."
What an absolute privilege to be in the room to notice the enthusiasm, the earnestness, the passion that you had for this idea, to not just blow it off, to just encourage you. To hook you up with the right guy in Jay Fifield. I mean, he's the right guy to go through this process with you. I mean, what an absolute privilege for us to be involved in it. And what a great opportunity for Boveda to be a part of, I mean, you guys are a rock-solid group of people, the family.
For us to be involved, for us to be able to share our story and share the freshness journey with that vehicle going out from five states to 25 states with eight pending, that's wonderful. I mean, it's a great privilege for us. And then, we're standing there yesterday and you point this out and I'm like, "Well, wait, I'd never heard about this." (Remon chuckles) Right? When did you guys dream this up?
- So I've had this idea for a couple years, and, you know, I like to stick to what I know and stick to my business. - Well, there's plenty. You gotta really focus to do that, to do the remote-located, full-size humidors. - Yeah. But, you know, the conversations me and Jay have, every time it's, and I always share this with him, I like simple, I like the simple fixes of life. I like easy.
Me and him, the ideas we kind of bounce around and the discussions we have where I constantly say is, especially in the early stages of a guy's journey with cigars, is we gotta guide them, and guide them always the best way we can. And it started with the Boveda small bags and the medium-sized bags where, they buy it once, try it once, and you realize it works, and this is the right way to keep your cigars fresh.
That's it, it's just such a simple, easy solution that can be more complex than it should, right? And so for us and our partnership is like, how do we remind guys? How do we remind the people and how do we encourage them is just don't discourage yourself and don't hassle. Try Boveda, stick your cigars in this bag, it works. And then, it's, for example, you wanna gift someone some cigars.
And I always share this with Jay, it's like, I do it myself, I'm going to someone's party or, you know, a gathering and I wanna take some cigars as a gift to them. But there's nothing better, you stick it in a Boveda bag and now you give it to him. It's like he doesn't have to worry. And he knows it's fresh- - He doesn't have to have a humidor. - Yeah, and it's like, just that relief that added, just, you feel great about it. And so this is my kind of perception and why I value Boveda so much.
And so this product, the birth of this was kind of like, now that we have the humidors growing, the locations growing, and we have the restocks all pretty much automated, they scan a QR code, it takes them to a portal, and it's a easy, easy purchasing, easy shipping. Ship, you know, same day, we pack and ship all the orders and it's going nationwide. So now that the products are in the hands of the retailers and they've got an audience, now our focus is continue to turn towards the end consumer.
And what we've learned is a big majority of our end consumers that are picking up the cigars from these retailers are very new to the industry, just starting their relationship, but are now buying them more often and are ready to start taking them home. And what I wanted to do is have them be able to store a good amount of cigars at home without the hassle. It's a protected humidor that's just as simple as it can get. And it's affordable. You're brand new to cigars.
You're not ready to dish out a few hundred dollars for a humidor. And then, you have to season it, and you gotta learn. And then, you know, cigars dry out. And so we wanted that solution. So I had this concept, I shared it with Jay. I said, "Jay, I'm doing this and I want you with us." And showed him the, you know, what my design looked like, and where Boveda stood. And no hesitation, he's like, "We're in." And it's like, you know, how cool is that? You know, how awesome is that?
And so I got to work, and this was three months ago, you know? And so from the concept, the idea, the prototype, and constantly sharing, "This is the tweaks that we made," and with a goal of showcasing it here in time. So we got the samples in just in time. The first order arrives mid-August ready to ship to retailers and to the public. But it's fun. - Yeah, and it's self-explanatory. It's an 80-stick humidor in a closed cell, what would you call this material?
- It's EPP, expanded polypropylene. - So the demonstration that your associate made over there standing on it was brilliant, because he stood on this to show how durable it is. And then, of course, inside, in addition to a divider, there's a space for a Boveda pack, and it includes a Boveda pack. I didn't know about this, Sean and Tim didn't know about this, Nobody knew about this until yesterday. Brought it back. Everybody's oohing and awing over it.
And then, today, one of the beautiful things that happened, and I'm so glad this went down, it just warmed my heart to watch Manolo Quesada, one of the finest cigar manufacturers in the world, guy's been making cigars for 50 years, and his daughter, Raquel, they were here and he noticed this. It was sitting on the counter. He noticed it and he says, "What's that?" And I showed it to him and he goes, "I have to go get one of these, I need this for my," he travels back and forth from Spain.
And he goes, "I need this." And I said, "Well, Manolo, I'll give you this. And I tell you what would be fantastic, I gotta tell you the story of this," and I call you a kid, you're not a kid, you're a middle-aged man, I hate to break it to you, but I said, "You need to meet this guy." And he said, "Well, I'll go over there." And I said, "Hold on." We sent Mike, Mike came and got you. You came over, you're very gracious. Gracious, means gracious. I mean, this is a beautiful thing.
I told Manolo the story of you. I said, "The reason why this worked was because this kid's earnest and he does what he says he's gonna do, and he's decent, and he's consistent." That's you, that's who you are. And I don't know who you get to blame for that, mom, dad, whoever, but that's a beautiful thing. And he lit up on this.
And he was so touched when he had a chance to meet the inventor and talk to you, and he's got one of these, the guy, I mean, it's one of the greats in the cigar industry, and you've got brands talking about you and that big, yellow display over there. And I said something to you yesterday, and I got choked up thinking about it, because my old man, amazing human being, he had a habit of saying to guys that he hardly knew, "So tell me about your faith formation."
This was my dad, old school Catholic guy that would say, "Hey, tell me about," you know, daily mass guy. And he'd ask people that and you'd just cringe. You're like, "Oh my God, dad, don't embarrass us saying this." I don't know if you can imagine that, I know you come from the same tradition. But he had a hard time saying, "I love you," right? But he could say, "Hey, Drew, I'm proud of you." You know, something I did in school, something I did in sports, whatever. "Drew, I'm proud of you."
That was his way of saying it, right? And I felt that yesterday. I'm standing over there and I'm like, "Remon, I know this sounds whack, but I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for that, that idea that you saw through, the ability to plan it, manifest it, fabricate it, get it out into the marketplace. That's awesome." And this, I mean, it is an absolute privilege to be included as part of your story about your business that you're building and the way this has gone for you.
It's an absolute privilege. And I can't thank you enough for that. - No, man, I thank you, man. You know, I really, really appreciate that. But, believe it or not, it meant a lot, you know, the encouragement. "Man, you know, I met this guy at Boveda, and he believes in this idea." And so that's fuel, especially, you know, like I said, in those beginning days, it was very lonely. And so when you got that kind of encouragement, that fuel, and it really, really gets you going in that direction.
Appreciate you. - What else is there to say? Thank you. - Pleasure, always. - God bless you, do well. - God bless you.