PCA Magazine Winter 2020

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG WINTER 2020 | PCA The Magazine 63 matters: to call out our UNITY, to remember the very reason why we exist as manufactures and retailers, and to remind ourselves that we are united by the common values and our passion for premiumcigars. Just as the nutrients come from the soil and run through the roots and veins of a tobacco plant, so should the love and passion for premiumcigar people run in our veins. Humanity is worthmore thanmoney. Personal relationships and the human interactions generated by the social gatherings around premiumcigars are worth far more than the product itself. In our culture, ethics are not compromised, nor are personal interests placed in front of the collective well-being. We live in difficult times and our house is under attack. This is the time to stand together, to shout out that we are united! FromFDA regulations to large corporations defending their interests, there is a clear attempt to destabilize this vast collective of retailers, manufacturers, distributors and farmers. Recently four large companies announced they will not attend themost important premium cigar trade show in the world. This, however, has not deterred other manufacturers, such as Rocky Patel, Fuentes, J.C. Newman, CLE, Alec Bradley, CrownedHeads, A.C.E. Prime, Tatuaje, Padron, Plasencia, AJ Fernandez, My Father Cigars, Gurkha andmany others (who probablymake up 90 percent of the premium cigars available on the shelves of retailers), from declaring their full support and presence at the PCA Trade Show. For this handful of corporations, profit, power, and control come before the values and passion of the premiumcigar industry. But they are not our enemy. Our true adversary is our ” T H E I N D U S T R Y We move forward when we choose to see the accomplish- ments of others instead of their mistakes. When others fail, we shouldn’t be passive. We should help them start over. We should care for them. We should show them love. own disunity, indifference, skepticismand the inability to see common grounds and inexorable values. Selfishness should have no place in our society. Misinformation, rumors and speculation should have no voice in our media outlets. In our families, we learn the noblest values, we sacrifice for each other, we fight for each other. So should it be in our premium tobacco community. Wemust learn: To coexist This virtue is based on the common commitment to place people and their future above personal satisfaction, even if it bruises our pride. In our home, justice does not apply as in civil society. Among husband, wife, children and brothers, distress must be relieved through abundance of good. Persist A strong home is the foundation fromwhich we grow into useful bodies. Children are taught to walk, to run, to ride a bike. They are supported during the hard work of studying for a critical exam. They are comforted as they try to win another’s heart. It is this foundational support that generates the great entrepreneurs who influence the world for the better. It is this kind of intrinsic support that allows communities such as ours to innovate, to thrive and to grow. Resist Temperance toward behaviors contrary tomorality can be difficult, but it pays off. A truly authentic person feels more satisfied by being true to personal convictions than by giving in to the influence of unreliable, self-interested players. Celebrate and have fun! Families should live joyfully together. Remember that joke told after Sunday’s barbecue, when even themost serious of uncles was unable to contain his laughter? At the end of day, that familial joviality is what we want. I’m reminded of this after walking through the corridors of the PCA Trade Show and running into cherished friends and trusted colleagues. We have a conversation. We share good bourbon and fine cigars. As we spend time together, there blooms among us an immutable bond. That feeling, that emotion inside your chest when you know that we are united by the same passion. This worthy organization, this vast array of interdependent professionals, of clients and suppliers, of distant friends is more than just a business collective working together tomake a buck. We are greater than the sumof our parts. We are Family!