Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Caldwell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Robert. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my first cigar company about 10 years ago. It is called The Hotel Humidor Company. It was a pretty straight-forward and useful business. We provide cigars to restaurants and hotels in Miami and throughout South Florida. From there, I started a cigar factory in Wynwood called The Wynwood Cigar factory. This was before Wynwood was WYNWOOD.
I actually went into Wynwood because it was one of the lowest rent neighborhoods in the city. The factory and the brand were overnight successes. Wynwood grew up around us and we had a great time. Unfortunately, my business partner and I didn’t get along and we decided to shut down the project instead of the both of us going insane.
I followed that up shortly by launching a new company in the Dominican Republic called Caldwell Cigar Company. We have been operating our offices and fulfillment center out of Wynwood. We have rapidly grown to become one of the most talked about brands in the cigar market.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Cigars are a challenge. There are many moving parts. On one side you have legislation, taxes, smoking bans, etc. On the other, you have a highly misunderstood and complex world. They are an entirely handmade product. They are a luxury.
A cigar usually takes about 300 people and 3 years to construct from seed to finished product. We deal with 5 different factories for manufacturing, another 7 for packaging, as well as sell in 10 countries all with different legislation and requirements.
In addition to all of this, the cigar industry is a craft industry that has gotten grouped into the same category as cigarettes and other tobacco products. Regardless of what data is proven in terms of the difference between tobacco products, we still are grouped together with other products.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Caldwell Cigar Company story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a non-traditional manufacturer. We are a first generation company. No one in my family has been involved in cigars ever. Typically, cigars are a multi-generational industry. We also have very contemporary, art-centric Packaging and design. This is something that we became naturally good at growing up in Wynwood.
We came out of the gate strong and have had a ton of very high ratings in Cigar Aficionado magazine. We were the first company ever to receive a top 25 global rating our first year in business (at only 6 months old).
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Our concept was so different that we knew we would be tremendously successful or an immediate failure depending on which way the wind blew. Luck blew our wind to the successful side.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.caldwellcigars.com
- Phone: 7864528340
- Email: robert@caldwellcigars.com
- Instagram: Caldwellcigars
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