I’ve known Paul for a few years and watched as his kingdom has exploded. He would demur that no such explosion has happened; but it has.
Paul graciously agreed to answer some questions. Here they are:

Q: Things have really blossomed for you since 2012-2013. Your smoking audience has expanded 100 fold over the last couple of years. Did you do most of the leg work? Or have you added a staff of 50 people to help promote and rep your cigar line?

A: Things really did ramp up for us in the last year or two. Not sure if
it was a “hundred fold” but yes we did gain some nice exposure which led
to opening several new accounts and increased loyalty from existing ones.
I was very pleased with having work piled in front of me so didn’t hire 50
people by any stretch of the imagination. When you start out doing this
you are basically unknown and sometimes feel like your only job is to
stare at the phone and wait for it to ring so at this point the extra work
load is very welcomed. Hiring fifty people would bring back memories of
contacting your whole client list before the morning coffee break. In all
truthfulness we are happy to deal with everyone on a one on one basis
whenever they need us. It’s a good feeling for people to know who they are
speaking with when they call. Perhaps the day will come when that is not
feasible but for now….i gotta go and sweep the floor!

Q: You haven’t added a new blend since the No Dress Code and Lord of Albany in late 2013. Did you take anything new with you to the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show?

A: The only new thing we did in 2014 was the No Dress Code line which is
cigars rolled and immediately shipped fresh to the retailer. They have a
date which reflects the sick period of the cigar and thus tells the
customer to smoke before a certain date or after a certain date when the
cigar begins maturing slightly and ages from there on. It was done in a
Torpedo vitola to start and is now being offered in a Toro.

I have never been one to believe in releasing things just for the sake of
releasing something new. I don’t judge any other companies for doing so by
the way…it’s just something that has become one of my core principals.
The No Dress Code is my forum to play with new stuff without an official
grandiose launch. Right now its freshly rolled stuff…next week it could
be a blend we want honest feedback about before marketing and packaging
come into play. It is our platform for taking a concept and seeing what the
feedback is on an honest level…hence No Dress code. Stripped and
honest!

Q: I’ve seen your product in a lot of online stores now; both big and small. You must be cranking out cigars like crazy now. What is your output?

A: I never discuss output but not for the reasons people think. Usually
it’s about confidentiality etc. In my case I found when I was talking
publically people were forming judgments that we were “too small” so can’t
possibly be getting premium materials or “too large” and quality will
surely suffer. I prefer people to smoke our cigar and enjoy it or say hey
that’s not for me. I don’t like preconceived notions that run so rampant in
this industry nor am i into the false claims that take place. I believe
that has calmed down in the cigar world in recent years…which is very
nice to see and good for the end smoker who can get an honest
representation of a given cigar and base their own opinion on what they
are smoking. I truly live by the motto stated in our ads…No tales of
tobacco fields, no 100 year traditions and of course NO PRETENCES.

Q: Which line sells the best?

A: That’s a tough question in that people initially go to the Classic blend
as a general rule because it’s our entry point. However once they become a
fan they automatically want to sample the White Blinding Light which they
hear about so often because we get so many write ups, etc. for that line.
Then it’s a matter of wanting to explore further with Red Screaming Sun or
wanting to be a smoker of the line but needing something mild for their
palates and going to Black Midnight Fire. I’m very fortunate in that we
have not had to discontinue anything since starting 3 years ago. I think
that has a lot to do with what I said earlier about not releasing stuff
just for the sake of needing or wanting something new. It can be
frustrating when asked “what’s new?” And having to respond “nothing right
now” but Im really focusing on the smoker who is looking for a true stick
to what works cigar with not too much cake decoration that distracts them.

Q: Have you increased the amount of B & M events over the last year?

A: Events have taken place however we are focusing on events from B&M’s
that want to really focus on the brand for the long term as opposed to
going into an event tonight and making friends and then being forgotten
about tomorrow when the next event for another brand takes place. I live
for loyalty…and that goes both ways.

Q: Can you please give me your top 3 favorites and sizes?

A: Blondes, brunettes and redheads from skinny all the way up to plus size
women are all great.

Q: The one thing I hear a lot is that smokers have trouble affording a $12 stick. This year’s IPCPR exploded with $10-$15 sticks. What happened to the $8 cigar? I’ve given this trend a name: IPCPR Fever.

A: The $8 cigar and what happened to it? Well that’s a great question that
I could go on about for hours but I won’t. In order to do a premium cigar
which the educated consumer of today is looking for is very difficult to
do. Raw materials are at a high and quality rollers are in demand. That’s
the main reason but there is also the unfortunate need for excess
marketing and promotion. I love marketing, i love events and I feel it’s
important to give samples to people but these things cost money and the
industry i have to believe is feeling it and can’t possibly offer ALL of
the above and not have prices be affected.

That being said we will be lowering our prices pretty much across the
boards for 2015. It’s something I always wanted to do but needed to
increase volumes in order to do so. We have done this and are ready to
make PS cigars more accessible for everyone to enjoy. I’m very proud of this
accomplishment as i always wanted to have the cigars to be more attainable
but refused to let quality be compromised because it would be all for
nothing if I did.

Q: Are you still working crazy hours? Do you ever sleep?

A: Define that word “sleep” please? No clue what that means

Q: Have you expanded to the point that you have been able to add upper management help?

A: See above in answer 1

Q: And finally, do you have a 5 year plan; and if so, what is it?

A: Like anyone i have plans and goals for the future however this
industry seems to be going through rapid and drastic changes as of lately
so it’s hard to make concrete plans. Concrete is tough to tear down and
make changes to but therein lies the beauty of being small and “boutique”
…we can make changes as needed without long delays and quickly shift
focus to what the consumer is looking for as trends change. Paul Stulac
Lord went from a phone convo with a retailer one afternoon suggesting a
Lonsdale size to 500 boxes coming from concept to rolled (not aged of
course) boxed and packaged in about 4 weeks. Being small definitely has
its challenges but we always try to focus on the benefits it provides us
in giving the smoker what they want on any given day as best we can.

Thanks Paul!
P.S. All of Paul’s cigars are reviewed right here. Go nuts.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar interviews, cigar reviews, cigars, PAUL STULAC