Jorge Luis Armenteros is the proprietor of two tobacco shops; both named A Little Taste of Cuba. One, the original shop, is in Princeton, NJ (70 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ - 609.683.8988 - www.cubacigar.com). The other shop, his second, is in New Hope, PA (102 S. Main Street, Ste D - 215.862.1122).
Perhaps of greater importance is the fact that he founded and operates Tobacconist University - an educational concept that brings professionalism to the retail tobacconist, and credibility to the industry; particularly in these difficult times for cigar makers; Tobacconists and smokers alike.
I met Armenteros in 1997 when I was marketing my ill-fated Arzt de los Reyes cigars. While he did not choose to purchase those fine smokes, we did develop a casual friendship and communicated, off and on, over the years.
Here is a passionate young Tobacconist that knew what he wanted to accomplish, and one not inclined to 'settle' for less. As you will see from this conversation, he is much more than a retailer. He is an ardent exponent of the qualities and pleasures of fine, no make that the finest cigars. All that has lead to his becoming one of the industry's leading activists - and he is still young. Who knows where he goes from here.
Jorge and I sat down when he was last in Miami to conduct a seminar for Miami Cigar & Company's Sales Force. This is his second such session for Miami Cigar and I can vouch for the fact that all their CSRs and Reps have been certified - I have seen the Certificates.
Hell, Jorge does this so thoroughly that even Nestor Miranda was certified! Well, with an Honorary Certificate.
I truly enjoyed this conversation and learned a great deal. I hope you will do both as well.
Puff: Jorge, you grew up in Miami, FL. Now, being Cuban the fact that you gravitated to the cigar industry is understandable, but what took you to Princeton, NJ?
JLA: I was attending American University in Washington DC; walked into Georgetown Tobacco my sophomore year, immediately fell in love with the place and cast of characters, and decided I wanted to be a Tobacconist. I spent the next 3 years writing the business plan, spending time in Georgetown (and any other shop I could find), meeting cigar makers, and looking for markets to open my first store. I could only borrow $50,000 from my family and credit cards to open the business so I needed my father's help to build the store. Around the time I was graduating college his company asked him to move to NY, NJ, or CT so I spent six months looking for the right town and ended up falling in love with Princeton. My family actually moved here for a year and a half to help me start A Little Taste of Cuba. Princeton had the demographics, history, character I wanted, but most importantly it did not have a cigar store - the previous one, 'Tom the Pipe Carver' had closed in 1991. I was lucky enough to have family to loan me money, a couch to sleep on, and my father helped me every day after work, while my mother chipped in as well - she was my first and only unpaid Tobacconist.
Puff: How long has the Princeton shop been open? When did you open the New Hope shop?
JLA: Princeton opened September 8th, 1995, I was still doing major construction and only had two brands on the shelf (Padron & PG) - there was more exposed shelving than product. But I had run out of money so I needed to open. Please note, I am not recommending this approach to anyone, but I was lucky enough to have the cigar boom wind at my back. In fact, I had enough wind that I was planning my New Hope shop within months and opened it on November 5th, 1996 I used to open Princeton in the morning, wait for my relief Tobacconist to come in the afternoon and go to New Hope to do the construction; most nights I just slept on the floor and went straight back to Princeton in the morning.... It was mostly sweat equity, masked by the smell of cigars.
Puff: How would you describe the difference between the two shops and their respective markets?
JLA: The shops are both distinctly "A Little Taste of Cuba" in their boutique and premium product focus as well as heavy ambience and distinct décor and merchandising, but Princeton is a little more classic with wood floors, walls, ceilings, etc... While New Hope has a more contemporary twist to suit the artsy Delaware River tourist town market. I love having the same Tobacconist Brand in two distinct markets because the clientele varies so much. Princeton is classic, international, smart, diverse, and always has people on the couches, while New Hope is artsy, more eclectic and economically diverse - and also very warm weather touristy.
Puff: Do both shops have lounges for your clientele?
JLA: We consider it part of our mission to provide an oasis from the outside world, so yes, both stores do have couches and extra seating.
Puff: In your years in the industry, what are some of the most significant changes you have seen?
JLA: When I started I specialized (and continue to) in boutique, Cuban expatriate, and super-premium cigars. I thought the only way I could compete was on product exclusivity and service excellence. Back in 1990's many customers would walk out of the shops because they did not recognize the extraordinary brands we carried. Today, that boutique innovation drives the marketplace, and has been the impetus for 'the Golden Age of Cigar Making' which we are living in. The travesty of the last decade has been the increasing taxation, social discrimination, and draconian smoking-bans.
Puff: About twelve (12) years ago you began to work on developing The Tobacconist University. What inspired you to create this entity?
JLA: I actually started the precursor to Tobacconist University, Cuban Cigar University, in 1996, after an educational trip to Cuba. By 1997 I was teaching and certifying consumers and Tobacconists in my own stores. I think it was in 2001 when I was testifying in federal court as a twenty-something year old, in the Cubatabaco - General Cigar Cohiba trial and the attorneys handed me a printed copy of Cuban Cigar University while I was on the stand- at that moment I realized that the University had given me the credibility to be an 'expert' in that trial. By 2003 I had developed Cuban Cigar University on the internet for my own retail stores, customers, and Tobacconists. At that point I realized it would not be 'much more work' to just expose it all for the entire industry; that's when we became Tobacconist University. In fact, it took a couple of years to work the branding, develop the Code of Ethics & Standards, and write a lot of the corporate/academic stuff so 2005 was the year Tobacconist University merged on the internet. Frankly, I was about 28 at the time I started thinking seriously about developing TU for the whole industry - it was such a daunting project that would require unprecedented resources and I knew if I waited till I was any older, my wisdom would talk me out of the project. I have been working and funding TU full-time since 2003. And we have been Certifying as Tobacconist University since 2006, but 2008 was our 'coming out' pilot year. 2009 should be our biggest and best.
Back to the question: what inspired TU?
When I opened my second store within 14 months of my first, I realized that the only obstacle to growth and success in this business (or any other) would be the quality of people I employed. People are a company's greatest asset. So, developing a training platform for professional Tobacconists seem absolutely necessary to me; especially since I felt excellent service was part of our mission. Ultimately, a tobacco shop is only as good as its Tobacconists! (Ironically, it is the effectiveness of TU in my retail stores that has allowed me the time to focus on developing TU for the industry - so I know it works!) I have always believed that competing on price is a vicious, declining business cycle so I strived to provide extraordinary value to my customers in other ways - I never wanted to be a discount warehouse.
I think the final impetus for TU was the tide of taxation and smoking bans which has swept over the world. This was the 'last straw' which 'forced' me to act and put it all on the line for TU. I believe that the industry needs CREDIBLE professionals in order to survive and preserve our rights. We can't just keep talking about the rights we deserve, because that hasn't worked - so Certification and professionalism will help us carve out a sustainable niche in the society we live in.
Ultimately, TU exists to provide retail Tobacconists with tools to leverage: we promote, educate, share credibility, and create new value and opportunities while endeavoring to 'preserve luxury tobacco for generations to come'.
Puff: You felt that tobacconists in the U.S. lacked an adequate degree of knowledge and professionalism?
JLA: Yes, and consumers too - including me, as I learn something new every day. Ironically, today's cigar and pipe smokers are more educated than ever, thanks to magazines, the internet, and passionate reporters like you. But that substance can be offset by marketing myths and hobbyist tobacconists who are more interested in passing the time by smoking cigars. I think every B&M customers have as many bad B&M stories as they have good ones. And this inspired me, since I fell in love with the industry in Washington DC, which had at least two world class Tobacconists - and once you have seen the difference, you realize the value of a great Tobacconist.
Ours is a romantic passion, the rituals, the time you take, the smells, the smoke etc.... So it is only natural to excessively romanticize and exaggerate certain imagery and words. But the beauty of the luxury tobacco industry is that it needs no exaggeration; the extraordinary realities, like 300 hands touching every tobacco leaf, are enough to justify the true artistry and magnificence of this industry. Above All, I thought the industry needed an objective and credible resource to spread the wonderful truth about its people and products.
Puff: Who wrote the curriculum? Was it a collaborative effort?
JLA: I have done most of the writing, but in 2007 we started accepting Academic Contributions from industry members, and have Certified Retail Tobacconists (CRT) contributing copy and writing assignments; we also have Kate Bellando, CRT, our Academic Administrator and R. Sloane Franklin, CRT, our Director of Academic Resources doing writing now. I believe the future of our development will come from Certified Tobacconists who will have their contributions placed in the academic curriculum with their names and store logos. But, we welcome all credible industry members to contribute as we are an open-source curriculum. You can also view our Resources section to see who/what resources have been used.
Puff: My original impression was that the "university" functioned as an online entity. I am now aware that you conduct live seminars. How does Tobacconist University operate?
JLA: It's funny that people think of TU as a website, but we think of the website as the primary communication tool of the University. Tobacconist University; without the internet would never exist, at it would be cost prohibitive to publish anything - but it is only a tool.
The internet allows us to publish our entire academic content - you don't even need to give us your email to see/experience it (although we would love to have you on our mailing list); both consumers and professionals can access all of Tobacconist University, for free!!!
The internet site(s) provide a virtual campus for Tobacconists around the world. If a retail Tobacconist sends us an email stating they would like to be certified, we send them an Introduction Email which asks them to accept the Code of Ethics & Standards. After they accept the Code, they are listed on the Certified Tobacconist Webpage. Then, on the first Monday of every month we start a series of 12 E-Seminars (two per week) which act as a study aid to get you through the academic curriculums' four colleges: Tobacco, Accoutrements, Taste, and Service (for professional Tobacconists). At the end of six weeks retail Tobacconists are ready to take the final exam (usually it takes them a few months).
But, yes, I have done live seminars on multiple topics at the last 3 IPCPR conventions and get paid to do Seminars for Certified Salesforce Tobacconists (CST)*. In particular, Miami Cigar & Co. has certified their entire in-house salesforce and their customer service representatives, so for the last two years we have been doing all day seminars to train and teach them - as well as learn from them. This January we did a Seminar/Workshop on how to better service Retail Tobacconists. I am in a unique position as a retail Tobacconist, knowing what I know, plus I travel around certifying other Tobacconists so I get to learn a lot from the best - I try and take this knowledge and use it to help all Tobacconists, including CST.
*One of the unique things a CST does is bring retailers the TU final exam, as a favor. So CST has the unique ability to consummate the TU + Retail Tobacconist relationship by bringing them the final exam.
Puff: Would one not have expected this type of programme to be developed ages ago by the IPCPR (Formerly the RTDA)?
JLA: We started developing TU from the perspective of what I would have liked and needed to help me succeed as a retail Tobacconist. In fact, we have helped and will continue to consult with new stores to help them succeed - this is a big part of our mission. Frankly, I think the industry/profession would be a little better off today if Tobacconist University had existed twenty years ago (but I was only 15 then), but we cannot lament an imaginary past. All we can do now is fight to preserve our future. I believe we need credibility to preserve our existence going forward and every Tobacconist that gets certified goes a long way towards achieving that goal. Just think of how glorified the wine industry and Sommeliers are; then imagine the potential of Certified Tobacconists.
At this point, we are the Official Curriculum Resource for Professional Tobacconists for the IPCPR, and they are our Exclusive Organizational Partner. In fact, we Certify and promote all IPCPR member Tobacconists for Free!!! Yet we receive no money from the IPCPR; that is how much we believe in the IPCPR membership! They are the heart of this industry and B&M Tobacconists.
Puff: Have they adopted the programme, promoted it in any way?
JLA: Currently the IPCPR has us linked and represented on the IPCPR website we are working closely with the IPCPR's public relations firm to add as much value as possible. Plus, we get the occasional mention in IPCPR materials and a booth at the annual convention - which is all excellent. We are working on integrating and synergizing our efforts to achieve maximum results. Hopefully, with the horrific S-CHIP out of the way we can start to plan and execute our mutually beneficial agendas in a more aggressive way. TU tries to be proactive and long-term while organizations like the IPCPR, CAA, and CRA are forced to be on the defensive much of the time.... Currently our challenge with respect to the IPCPR and other industry organizations and companies, is to find beneficial ways for them to leverage TU to their own success.
Puff: Jorge, you have now launched an effort to gather petition signatures seeking the passage of Federal law to Preserve the Tobacconist,"THE TOBACCONIST PRESERVATION ACT." Would you explain that to our readers, please?
JLA: Speaking of being proactive; The Tobacconist Preservation Act is our 'line in the sand'; the absolute most important right we must fight for. Local and state governments/legislators have been whittling away at permissible places to smoke and that now includes Tobacconists - including the whole state of Delaware. The Tobacconist Preservation Act Petition reads as follows:
"The Tobacconist Preservation Act is a proposed Federal Law which will preserve and protect Tobacconist and consumer rights to smoke in retail Tobacconist stores."
While TU had no political aspirations or agenda, we must do all that we can to protect Tobacconists' rights. The TPA was launched on January 1st, 2009.
We believe, and our academic curriculum supports, explains, and justifies, the necessity for Tobacconists and Consumers to sample and enjoy their products in-store. A Tobacconist must be able to sample their products to adequately explain its qualities to consumers; just as consumers must be able to taste the products to make informed purchasing decisions. Savoring our products is an absolute necessity for Tobacconists!
Puff: How many signatures are you seeking? Once you have them, what will be the next step?
JLA: We are seeking only as many signatures as it takes to get The Tobacconist Preservation Act passed. Our temporary goal is One Million Signatures, and this will take a few years possibly. Ultimately, in order to be successful we will need the whole industry to get involved and become activists. We contend that this is a proactive endeavor, which must be initiated now before we get put on the defensive fighting for this basic right.
Currently paper petitions have been sent to our Certified Tobacconists and we are looking for funding/Sponsorship to disseminate paper petitions to all IPCPR members. In addition we are using web-based electronic petitions and are currently developing one central petition on the TU website: www.tobacconistuniversity.org. While we have just over 1,000 signatures in the last few weeks, we are planning for exponential growth as consumers become aware and speak up - the online petitions have a comments section and those are a great read!
As we aggregate all of the electronic and paper petitions we will make them available to any retailer or organization (IPCPR, CAA, CRA) who wishes to use them when working with/fighting with legislators trying to curb our smoking rights - this will be necessary on the local and state level too. Just imagine hundreds of notebooks/dozens of boxes filled with bona fide signatures being unloaded in front of legislators when we are fighting for our rights - the mere existence of the Tobacconist Preservation Act/Signatures is important. In addition, as we grow our signature base and funding we will enlist the help of our lobbyists to present our case to the federal government. While we may be several years away from this, we need to start now!!!
Puff: In light of all the anti-cigar activity being visited on us, do you consider the passage of this law to be a serious possibility?
JLA: Yes. I believe we can make a professional and legal argument for the fact that Tobacconists and Consumers must be able to sample products in their stores. To deny that right it to interfere with a professional Tobacconists' ability to perform their duty/job.
If the tyranny of the majority can prohibit Tobacconists from doing their jobs, then all is lost (individual rights, business owner rights, freedom, America, traditions, history, etc...). The key to our success (besides signatures and good lawyers) rests on our ability to prove we are credible professionals worthy of protection - to do this, we will need the support of the entire industry and many more Certified Tobacconists.
Puff: While the effort seems to be a day late, and a dollar short, Cigar Rights of America is the first real effort being made to stem the tide of anti cigar legislation, onerous taxation and 'abuse' being heaped on the cigar smokers in the United States. Do you actively promote membership in CRA to your clientele?
JLA: Currently we are working on many new and exciting ideas/projects with and/or about the CRA. While I cannot disclose much, I can tell you that it would seem reasonable to expect to learn about activism in a CRA School within Service College in Tobacconist University.....
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a CRA member.
Most importantly, let me add that all of this development, promoting the CRA, creating new content, and Certifying Retail Tobacconists for free is being made possible by our first Sponsor, Padrón Cigars; who have helped fund TU through 2009. If it wasn't for their financial commitment to TU, none of this work would be possible. And while it will take many more Sponsors to make TU a viable institution in the future, we are blessed to have their support. It's important to note and promote companies with the vision and commitment to support and promote retail Tobacconists, as they are not exactly knocking down our door trying to give us money.
Puff: With your considerable experience in fighting these anti-cigar efforts; what suggestions do you have for the Tobacconists and the cigar smokers of America to help preserve our ability to enjoy, perhaps, the most relaxing, reflective moments anyone can have?
JLA: Get Certified, join the CRA, get educated/read, frequent and support your B&M in any way possible as they are on the front lines, taking the brunt of taxation, anti-smoking legislation, and living in fear because they love their products and customers too much to go and do something else to make a living. The retail Tobacconist represents one of the greatest cultural and social institutions in America. If we lose them...we will lose the whole industry.
Puff: I thank you for a really enjoyable and informative conversation. I am sure the readers, Tobacconists and smokers alike, will learn a great deal from your comments. And, I thank you for your flattering remarks about my writing.
