Fall 2020 PCA Magazine

22 PCA The Magazine | AUTUMN 2020 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG The Blend else had access to. “With a lot of these farms,” says Bellatto, “the production of leaf is so small, the big guys just ignore it.” Of course, this means somewhat limited production (another marker of the “boutique” concept). “For each one of our lines, the tobaccos are very limited and the farms are very small,” Bellatto says. “We use their entire production each year and it varies year to year. When the tobacco is gone for the year, that is where our production is capped. As our relationship deepened with the Venturas and with our growers, we were able to use a lot of nontraditional Cuban seed and Dominican tobacco varietals— very well-aged tobaccos, with a minimum of seven years being the youngest.” So Bellatto’s initial $5,000 paid off. The Red was well received. “Our initial production of Red was roughly 2,500 cigars. I sold that run of cigars, and reinvested every penny back into the business.” In those early days Bellatto was doing everything himself— importing, shipping, ordering, processing, sales, marketing. Eventually sales grew to the point that he was unable to keep up. “So I scheduled an informal meeting with Robert about partnering with his distribution company Down and Back, which distributed Caldwell Cigars,” Bellatto recounts. “Robert saw a lot of potential with me and the brand, and from there we were off.” Bellatto reports that so far his company has not experienced any hiccups in production owing to COVID-19. “We were ahead of the game in the spring, having geared up for the PCA trade show and the summer rush. We had a lot of product aging and in inventory. And luckily the Dominican Republic got ahead of things and took the right steps to mitigate the virus.” La Barba’s U.S. midnation sales manager Zachary S. Harpold says that in some ways the pandemic has actually been good for business. “We have seen an increase in sales and support throughout COVID-19. Not only are we seeing more new smokers joining the hobby, but a lot of veteran smokers who are working from home now have a lot more freedom to smoke.” Harpold also points with pride to the company’s charitable activities. He says: “Tony Bellatto is also one of the owners of Lost & Found Cigars. Tony and Robert Caldwell have used Lost & Found to start several charitable initiatives. We have fed people who are hungry, provided much needed tutoring, after-school programs and extra-curricular education, and mentoring for inner-city children. Thanks to the cigars released under Lost & Found we have also made contributions to Stephen Siller Tunnels To Towers Foundation (911 first responders and their families), The North Texas Food Bank, Camillus House, Inner-City Impact, Inner-City Arts, as well as The Salvation Army. And with our new release El Pavo (‘The Turkey’) we will be feeding a family of five for Thanksgiving with every pack that is sold.” John Pugh, owner of Cigar Chapel in Bend, Oregon, signals happiness with his relationship with La Barba and with the distributor Down and Back. “They are great to deal with on all ends. For instance, we don’t have any backorder problems with La Barba.” As for The Red specifically, Pugh says: “The Red sells very well. It has a unique flavor, truly unlike any of the other cigars I sell. There is a very nice strength and smoothness to it, and the cigar is well-balanced. We sell a lot of the Red. We point them out to new customers and get a lot of repeat sales.” Patrick Siegel, owner of Robusto and Briar in Lakewood, Ohio, echoes the praise for Down and Back and La Barba: “They are really easy to deal with, very responsive.” And he says his customers love the whole La Barba line, adding: “The Red has leather and spice and is a really easy cigar for people to enjoy. I honestly think La Barba should have a place on any retailer’s shelf. It’s just a great boutique brand, and it’s good for breaking customers out of their rut if all they ever smoke is the big names. Also, from a merchant’s perspective, the 12-count boxes make La Barba easy for box sales.” Bellatto says, “Our motto is ‘friends working with friends.’ We were all friends before we decided to work together, and that is how things continue to this day.” Merchants wishing to make friends with La Barba and its distributor Down and Back can get in touch with Bellatto himself at tonybellatto@gmail. com , or they can email Down and Back at orders@downandback. com .