12 minute read
GOING ALL IN
Micky Pegg spent years working his way through the cigar industry. Now he’s putting everything he’s got into All Saints Cigars, a brand inspired by mentors and relationships that have shaped his life and career. BY ANTOINE REID
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MMicky Pegg’s first real interaction with cigars occurred when he Mike Conder, who would later go on to start their own brand called worked part time on Capitol Hill while attending college. It was Crowned Heads. While Pegg and the others at CAO had plenty the spring of 1989, and Pegg was a junior attending the Catholic of fun, he also learned a lot from the people he worked with about University of America in Washington, D.C., and he was in need of what it takes to build and maintain a successful cigar brand. In fact, an internship to help beef up his resume. Knowing how important an throughout his career in the cigar industry, the teams he’s been part internship was to his future professional career and how impressive of have all taught him different parts of the business that would later time spent on Capitol Hill would be viewed by future employers, help him create his own brand, All Saints Cigars. Pegg began interning for a senator, unaware of how this would set “I’ve been very fortunate, you know,” Pegg says of the various him up to become a future professional within the tobacco industry. teams and people he’s worked with over the years. “By happenstance “If you did a good job, the senator’s chief [of staff] would put you I walked into Georgetown Tobacco and then from there I went to in a cab and send you down to Georgetown Tobacco with a fistful of Davidoff. I got to learn about the factories from a very high level cash to go and pick up cigars,” says from Henke [Hendrik] Kelner Pegg. “You got to keep the change, and Raymond Scheurer, who was so it was like getting a little bit of the brand ambassador globally for a tip. If somebody didn’t show up for the cigar, you got to sit in the if you’ve been to one retail Davidoff at the time. At CAO, I learned about branding, marketing, senator’s room and smoke a cigar shop, you’ve only been to blending and choreographing with with those guys.” Cigars brought Pegg into a new one retail shop. Perdomo, Plasencia and Torano. Watching Nestor [Plasencia] show world of possibilities. Georgetown Tobacco’s owner, David Berkebile, —micky Pegg us everything from the seed to planting them in the nursery to went on to hire Pegg to work in what it takes to cheesecloth and his store, giving him exposure to transport them to the fincas—it was more cigar brands and experience just an amazing experience. Like with sales and marketing by way with the retailers, if you’ve been to of in-store events that were held. After one finca or one factory, you’ve only been working at Georgetown Tobacco for some to one finca or one factory. Everybody has time, Pegg began working for Davidoff as a a different approach and style. There might sales representative. be some similarities in the architecture of “When Davidoff said to me, ‘Do you want how they put a cigar together, but there are to be a sales rep?’ I’m like, ‘So, you’re gonna different ways, things and philosophies of pay me to smoke cigars and go visit cigar how to do it all.” shops? I get an expense report?’ Like, yeah, These different approaches to business absolutely! I jumped all over it.” and its many facets are inspired by the It was while Pegg worked with Davidoff and consumers, who are much more educated traveled to different cigar stores that he learned and invested in the tobaccos that are grown that each store was unique and had its own and the brands that are making cigars today. personality. “I tend to say that if you’ve been Consumers are expecting manufacturers to to one retail shop, you’ve only been to one bring something to the market that’s going retail shop,” he says. “There are people that to be enjoyed, while retailers want products have multiple shops, and the personality of that they can easily sell. the people that work there, the personality of the consumers, the personality of what they What’s in a Name? buy in terms of size, the vitola shape and the Pegg left the cigar industry soon after blends is all completely different.” CAO was acquired in 2007, but his Pegg’s work in sales and marketing at departure was brief. At the time, Pegg felt Davidoff led to another opportunity within that after all of his experiences working the cigar industry: national sales manager, The various sizes within All Saints Cigars' Dedicación line are named after or inspired by different individuals who have in the cigar industry there wasn’t much and, later, vice president of sales, at CAO had an impact on co-owner Micky Pegg's life and career. else left for him to do. Although Pegg had Cigars. Pegg had been approached to join an idea for his own brand, at the time he CAO by the company’s co-founder, Tim wasn’t ready to be a brand owner just yet. Ozgener. Pegg refers to his years at CAO as being some of his best, He began selling mutual funds for Lincoln Financial and went a year mostly because of the team that was there, including Jon Huber and without smoking a cigar.
Even though cigars appeared to be part of Pegg’s past, he still thought about his time and experience in the industry often, so much so that he often would think about the similarities between mutual funds and cigars. Cigars were composed of wrapper, binder and fillers. In the world of mutual funds, stocks could be viewed as the filler. Binders, Pegg felt, were specific stocks, such as Apple, while the wrapper was the style one took when putting together a mutual fund. It was clear that no matter how much time he spent away from the industry, cigars were always on Pegg’s mind, and a return to what he loved was on the horizon.
Pegg knew he couldn’t do it alone, so he brought on two partners,
Frank Layo and Martin Corboy, to help him start a cigar brand of his own. The three business partners began working diligently on their brand’s first cigar blend, a process that was delayed slightly in 2018 by the civil unrest taking place in Nicaragua. Pegg knew that who he partnered with for the production of his soon-to-be company’s first cigar was going to be important, so he sought the help of Rocky Patel.
When he discussed the idea of starting his own brand and using one of Patel’s factories to help create the blend, Patel offered to help Pegg because of his reputation of hard work and years of work in the industry. With the help of Patel’s Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A. (Tavicusa) factory, the group was able to bring their first cigar to market in 2019, the limited edition Solamente, which was offered in just one size. In April 2020, the group introduced its first regular production line, Dedicación.
Dedicación’s blend consists of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and Nicaraguan tobaccos that make up the binder and filler. The Dedicación line was inspired by various meaningful people in Pegg’s life, supporters, those working at the factory level and all of the mentors that shaped Pegg’s career, including David Berkebile, Walter Gorski, Cano Ozgener and George Brightman. Each size in the Dedicación line—Berkey, Commandant, Huge and Coach—is named after a specific person in Pegg’s life. With the cigar blends settled on, all that was left to do was name the company itself. Because the different people that inspired the Dedicación line were all “saints” in Pegg’s life, it seemed only natural for the company’s name to also be inspired by them, so he chose the name All Saints Cigars.
“Martin looked at me, and he goes, ‘Well, Micky, you’re Saint Michael. Frank, you’re Saint Francis.’ And then he goes ‘All Saints!’ We all were like, ‘Oh, wow. We like the name of it.’ And we looked at Martin and said, ‘There’s no Saint Martin!’ He goes, ‘Yeah, there
is—there’s an island named after me!’ We all start laughing, and that’s what stuck.”
Though All Saints Cigars launched in late October 2019, the official launch date of the brand is listed as Nov. 1, 2019, which is All Saints’ Day.
The Last Time
When it comes to promoting the All Saints Cigars’ brands, Pegg is taking advantage of modern-day platforms and tools like Instagram and podcasts in order to connect with customers. He also doesn’t discount the value of face-to-face interactions, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pegg tries to spend as much time as he can in stores where he can tell both his own story as well as that of his brand.
“You’re only as good as your last visit, your last story or the last time somebody smoked your cigar,” he says. “The competition out there is so strong, and a lot of people are coming up with innovative ideas and innovative things.”
Innovation and how to differentiate All Saints Cigars from other brands on the market are something Pegg spends a lot of time thinking about. He knows that brand fatigue is a real issue among consumers
Pegg and his partners partnered with Rocky Patel for All Saints Cigars' production and manufacturing needs. Solamente and Dedicación are both produced at Patel's famed Tavicusa cigar factory, located in the heart of Estelí, Nicaragua.
today, and it’s something he doesn’t want them to experience with of cigars to build brand awareness. From Crowned Heads’ Jon Huber his own brand. All Saints Cigars is different from other brands on and Drew Estate’s Jonathan Drew, Pegg has learned how turning the market in that Pegg is building the brand and its portfolio to every person within a company into their own celebrity can help be reliable, stable and basic—something that’s readily available expand a company’s reach and customer base. and will have a built-in audience that “Other people in the organization can be continues to buy it because consumers just as effective and good for the consumer know what to expect from the smoking as well,” Pegg says. “Not every consumer is experience. Innovation, as defined by going to connect with a brand owner, but Pegg, is listening to consumers and Innovation, as defined they might connect with somebody else that’s reacting appropriately. Another important part of building a brand today is accessibility. Pegg by Pegg, is listening to consumers and reacting part of that team.” Fully Committed looks at other brand owners and appropriately. According to Pegg, every company he has professionals in the cigar industry and worked for has had an awesome support sees the good that comes from those team. As a sales rep, Pegg was well aware of that engage directly with consumers. how many people were involved in getting a
“I mean, if you look at somebody that product to a retailer. Even when Pegg was does a lot—like Boofy [Matt Booth]—you know, here’s a guy that’s selling mutual funds, there was somebody on staff for every task from doing jewelry, he’s doing cigars. He’s like the most colorful guy on marketing to mailing to customer support. Now at All Saints Cigars, social media with the way he posts things and will react. I think that’s Pegg is forced to wear many hats because of the size of the company, important,” says Pegg. although he shares many responsibilities with his business partners.
Pegg has learned a lot about marketing, branding and promotion Even though having his own brand requires him to put in a lot of time from watching others in the industry. From La Palina’s Sammy Phillips for managing the brand, Pegg gets a thrill out of having a brand to he’s seen how one can cross-promote with brands and products outside call his own.
“It’s exciting for me to be out here be prepared for these hiccups,” he engaging with my old friends and meeting new friends,” he says. “This this is what I love. It’s says. “We want to bring things on to market when they’re ready and when is what I love. It’s what I’ve always what I’ve always loved. the consumer wants them, so it’s a loved. I love people, and I love telling the story. I love listening to a story I love people, and I love juggling act right now.” Pegg is well aware of the many as well. It’s just wonderful to be back telling the story. I love challenges that come with owning out here.” listening to a story as a business and building a brand in Pegg, who is a self-professed numbers guy, is already looking at the well. It’s just wonderful a competitive market such as the cigar industry, but he’s ready to face trajectory ahead of All Saints Cigars to be back out here. whatever comes his way. Pegg’s peers and sees big things for the brand going forward. According to Pegg, All —micky Pegg had commented on his big return to the industry, with many asking Saints Cigars is growing every month why he decided to come back after and is also finding a home among the having made a clean exit. For Pegg, right retailers. Despite a few hiccups he’s had to work around, such as All Saints Cigars is his future and his family’s future—he wouldn’t the global COVID-19 pandemic, Pegg and his business partners are take a risk on a business if he didn’t believe in it. Pegg expects to excited about what they’ve accomplished so far and whatever is ahead grind 12-14 hours a day, and he expects headaches and bumpy roads, for the brand. but he also expects All Saints Cigars to be here for a long time to
“When we made this commitment, one of the things that I said come. Pegg is going all in on All Saints Cigars—and fully expects was that if we were going to do this thing full time that we had to to win big. TB
