(salsa music) - There's a story

inside every smoke shop,

with every cigar, and with every person.

Come be a part of the cigar lifestyle of Boveda.

This is "Box Press".

(Instrumental salsa music)

Welcome to another episode of "Box Press".

I'm your host, Rob Gagner.

I'm at PCA 2022, and I get the opportunity to sit down

with the founders of Boveda and Cigars for Warriors,

to talk about how they've impacted the entire industry

to help people who are serving our nation have a little bit

of a break while they're overseas,

and smoke a cigar and take a relaxing break.

It sounds so simple,

but it is a huge reward to those

that are out on the front lines, and it's a huge reprieve.

We're gonna get into some of how impactful that's been,

but we also want to see how the industry has grown.

Because Cigars for Warriors has grown quite a bit,

and so has Boveda.

And the two are side by side,

holding hands making sure

everyone's going along with the ride.

Tim, Sean and Trey, thank you guys for joining me.

- Ah, I appreciate you having me.

- Yeah.

- Thank you, Rob.

Glad we have the opportunity to visit, and chat about this.

- Yeah, you guys.

So Trey, Cigars for Warriors was started 10 years ago?

- 2012.

- 2012, they're celebrating their 10th anniversary.

And who's been willing to donate from day one?

- Well, our donation structure changed quite a bit.

The consumer is always the key.

Going into our retail partners, and donating,

what we call donation centers.

Retail partners that collect cigars for us, ship them to us.

That's been around since day one.

In the very beginning,

we were around prior to the Deeming Regulations

from the FDA.

So right up through 2014,

a lot of manufacturers also donated.

And when the Deeming Regulations came out

and the FDA got involved,

we had to go to strictly the retail donation model.

And I've gotta tell you,

there was a scary time in there in that interim

where we thought, "Ah, maybe we can't make it."

The consumers and the retail partners kept

us giving cigars to our troops.

In fact, to this day, without manufacturers donating a lot,

we used to get quarterly donations

from certain manufacturers and people that wanted to help.

Even without that,

I'm at my donation levels I was back at our heyday

with the manufacturers,

and that is all because of consumers

and our retail partners.

- What a huge statement that is,

because that's like taking a business and saying,

"Hey, we have to cut out something that made us profit

but how are we gonna make up those sales?"

And really, what you're saying is that the consumers

and the retailers stepped in

where the manufacturers had to step out

because of government regulations.

That's huge, that's the power

of your guys' organization reaching and reaching,

and never, ever giving up.

When things get hard, you constantly keep going.

So as much as you want to thank everyone else for donating,

I wanna thank you for never ever giving up,

and trying to find a way to keep the cigars going.

- Well, we appreciate it, it's a passion.

- I mean, - Yeah.

- I never served.

So for me, I look at what people are willing to sacrifice

to go out, do a job to protect me.

And if I can't, in a passion I have, which is cigars,

if I have a way to give back,

why would I not do everything I can?

- Right. - Yeah.

- Unbelievable.

- Well said. - Yeah.

- The amount of just pure

opportunity to step away from the front lines,

opportunity to not think about fighting,

the opportunity to not think about how deadly war is.

We've talked to some of the people at Cigars for Warriors,

like Storm, who's a founder.

He's told us stories that these people say,

"That cigar saved my life."

They were depressed.

They weren't thinking that they could keep going.

Doesn't mean that they were gonna turn the gun around

and kill themselves, but it may have meant

that they may not have ran fast enough,

they may not have gotten cover quick enough.

That's a huge thing,

for someone to feel the sense of hope that I can keep going.

- Absolutely, I've got a young man came up to me

at an event I was doing in California,

and I'm just running our table.

And he walks up to me shaking his dad's arm going,

"Dad, dad, look, look, look, look, look.

This is the group that sent me cigars in Afghanistan."

I'm taken aback because we do meet recipients,

but to have one randomly show up with at a table.

And I go, "When did you get back?"

He said, "Last week."

But he told his dad, he goes,

"I feel better about my tour

because I had a chance to relax,

and I had a chance to sit there with cigars."

And you could see the mental health benefits

of giving these service men and women an opportunity

to just do what we do at the end of a hard day.

- It's feeling normal.

It's feeling like an American again.

It's feeling, everything you're doing in, I didn't serve,

I didn't do anything.

But from what I've heard,

you're doing stuff that you've never done before.

You have a different schedule.

It's like you're a brand new person.

And when you get to go back and eat a cheeseburger,

sit down and have a cold beer, and have a great cigar,

you feel like a human that you were again,

your identity comes back.

That loss of identity, that's scary for mental health.

- [Trey] Absolutely.

- So the fact that you guys are providing a sense

of identity, connection back to these men and women

who are fighting for us,

we're gonna support that all day long.

And Sean and Tim, that's where you guys come in.

You said from day one,

Cigars for Warriors needs to send stuff overseas.

Can you guys help us out with Boveda packs?

How much?

And when they ask, when Cigars for Warriors asked how much,

you said free.

- Yeah, whatever you need.

- These guys and women are serving our country,

the least we can do is make sure

that they get a cigar that tastes great.

Because when they take that time to sit down,

because they don't get it a lot, and actually have a cigar,

they should have a cigar that you and I get to have

because we can pull it from our humidor.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- That's a huge thing because it doesn't,

the piece doesn't work if I grab the cigar

and it doesn't taste good.

- Yeah.

- The piece doesn't work if I struggle to keep it lit,

it just doesn't work.

It needs Cigars for Warriors to bring the cigars,

it needs the Boveda to keep it fresh,

and it also needs the accessories,

the cutters and the lighters,

- Absolutely. - to make it happen.

- So there's a three Musketeers thing happening here.

- Yep, And I'm sorry that we don't have

an accessory company,

like Xikar or somebody here to speak for that.

But it is,

you guys are also giving your accessories out there

because not only do they take donations for,

for the cigars and the money, but they'll take the cutters

and lighters that you don't need anymore.

Guess what?

I have millions of cutters and lighters-not millions-

(laughing)

probably close to 20 or 30.

- Quite a few.

- And I don't need 20 or 30.

I could stand to donate a few million.

- [Sean] Yeah. - To the cigar,

Cigars for Warriors, in the cutter and lighter department.

So just think about it.

It's the three things altogether that make a big deal

to these men and women who are serving in our armed forces

looking to take a break and reconnect

with their identity that they were before. For just an hour

or maybe just two hours.

Now, Cigars for Warriors, Trey,

has hit the over-the-million-cigars-shipped

number.

When you guys started the company 10 years ago,

and you thought, how many cigars can we ship?

You set a goal, right?

You always set that lofty goal.

We do that.

Sean, Tim, you guys do that in business.

Keep raising that goal. Right?

The one-year H.A.G..

The three-year H.A.G., the 10-year H.A.G.

What was the beginning goal that you guys thought,

"Ah, this is just so high, we'll never reach it?"

- So the founders that are still around

I came a year into the organization

but the founders that are still around will tell you

they sat around and said, you know

if we could send a couple of hundred cigars

wouldn't that be great? (laughing)

Well, at the time you have to realize we are

we are the only 501(c)(3) charity that does this.

Our group founded the charity,

did the organizational documents.

Because there were other groups who were trying to do this

but none of them were a formal 501(c)(3) or corporation.

- Yeah. You guys got your ducks in a row.

- We got our ducks in a row first and there were,

there were those out there that were not as genuine

in their process.

- Right. - I'll put it that way.

And, and cigars may not have got where they were

supposed to go.

And so there was a bad taste in people's mouth back then

about, you know, you're telling me you're gonna send them

to the soldiers, are you really gonna do it?

- Yeah. - That's the whole impetus

of why we were created is,

because if I gotta follow the IRS rules

I can't monkey around.

So it was to reinforce that trust and their whole thing in

the beginning was can we get people to trust it

because there have been other bad actors.

- Okay.

- Well, the first year I think we hit 20,000.

So for us, you know, to be at the one point over

1.3 million mark in 10 years

- Wow. - Is, you know, a validation

of our supporters, but also of how the volunteers

in this organization have worked.

- Right.

- You know, I officially I've been a volunteer

since 2013 running events and doing things.

I got a private event that every year I've done it

this will be my ninth year.

Every year we do.

COVID, we had like 2,800,

which was our lowest number of cigars.

But I've done as much as 6,800 at these events.

And it's a wide event. - Wow.

- We do all these, you know, it's my...

- That's 6,000 cigars at one event.

- One event. Yeah.

- And pushing them on. - That's blowing the,

the year mark from the from the origination of 200.

- Yeah. - I mean like,

let's go big guys.

Like I'm talking a hundred thousand, 200,000.

I just keep cranking that number.

- Yeah, yeah.

- It's, it's grown tremendously for us.

And again, the big thing is...

people love it. I mean, when I do it

my guys that are part of my cigar club, it's,

it's a challenge between them who can donate the most.

- That's it.

That right there. - Yeah.

- Is an accepted challenge that I hope you take

up because now the, the number's 1.3, let's go to 10

we gotta get to 10.

Let's see if we can do 10 million in two years.

Think you could do it? Maybe five.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Five. I'll give you five years.

You heard it here.

10 million.

We need your help to do it though.

I'm talking to people who are out there fighting

for us and need a little bit of a break.

That gets me like, emotionally revved up.

So it's free, it's free Boveda no matter what the number is.

We support you 100%.

There's never gonna be this time in this entire

history that we're gonna say no to Cigars for Warriors

or to you guys that support it.

- Yeah. It's not that difficult when you start

from a heart of gratitude for what we have

and the opportunities that we have in the U.S.

Not just now but in the scope of history in general.

We have a real special thing in freedom

and liberty is so important and to also to

support those people that put their lives on the line.

My goodness, this is an easy one for us to do.

And we're so motivated behind it to do it.

Some people who don't smoke cigars

as much might not understand the impact that this has

in terms of your relaxation

and just enjoyment in just simple things in life.

It's such a, yes, it's a luxury product, but it's just

it's so far beyond a luxury product.

I don't think coffee, is the,

all these other things are not the same way.

There's something unique and special

- Special. - About, not just the flavor,

but it, the ritual the camaraderie that it's given.

The, you have an hour,

hour and a half that you have set aside to

do something that you enjoy so much.

And, it is...

just a really special thing.

And so coming from that, it's, it's great to give that

to those that fight for the things that we have here.

And they don't know

if they have a tomorrow for goodness sakes

but we have a tomorrow for the things that they do.

- Wow. - Yeah.

Yeah. The the amazing part is, is you conceptualize

the experience that they are living.

in, in a war zone

or overseas being stationed somewhere

and they're away from normal life.

This normalizes for an hour and a half.

It humanizes them, as well.

But the best thing about having a cigar is you relax.

I mean, there's studies that show that.

I mean, you're just,

your whole level of stress and,

and blood pressure all lowers.

- And those studies are for normal people.

And think about that relaxation when you're in a war zone.

- [Sean] Yeah. - I mean it's just,

It's like saying, "Hey you relax

10 times better with a cigar now take it to,

someone who's fighting for their life."

- [Sean] Yeah. - You relax

a hundred times better,

- [Sean] Yeah. - For that hour

and that cigar. - [Sean] Yeah.

- And I think that's the power in what you just said.

It amplifies it.

- Yeah. - Absolutely.

- And you know, and as Sean said too, I mean, what a

what a great charity. I mean,

found such a beautiful niche that was unfilled,

that is now filled,

- And did it right.

- And did it right.

- And did it right. You guys didn't look at it

from a perspective of like,

"Yeah, we'll just give you the Boveda."

you saw the credentials.

It's a 501(c)(3).

Every single cigar goes.

There's no cherry picking.

Somebody donates an Opus X, that's going overseas, guys.

Not a single person is gonna touch that cigar and

take it for themselves.

That's not what it's about.

- Yeah. - This isn't

your buddy's humidor.

This isn't the, you know, this is a bigger thing

and it's respected and coveted like that.

- Absolutely. Our charity adheres to...

GuideStar, which is a rater of charities.

We adhere to the standards that maintain

our platinum status.

And to give everybody an idea, a quarter of a percent

of all charities that apply to GuideStar make platinum.

- We're talking about

0.25

percent...

actually get platinum status on GuideStar.

- That's pretty incredible. - And Cigars for Warriors is,

- Three years in a row.

- Gets it three, So this

this is a thing that you have to qualify for every year.

- Every year. Every year.

We have to reapply every year to be,

to get the status renewed.

But it's all about transparency, which goes to your point,

we have to account. A cigar given

to our charity since we are a legal charity, is just like

you've given me a dollar.

- Right!

- I have to account for that cigar, just like you

gave me a dollar. - And if you took

the dollar because you thought,

"Oh, I haven't tried that dollar before.

I haven't, I don't have that one.

(laughing)

That serial number.

- That's right. I don't have that one."

Well, no shit, you don't have that one.

I don't have a lot of them.

That's a lot of money out there. Okay?

- But yeah, that's, that's a violation of IRS rules.

- Exactly, exactly. - Illegal.

- So when you think I'm giving out good cigars

but somebody at CFW's gonna take it, it's against the law.

They can't do, it's a 501(c)(3).

It's protected.

Just trust that your donation is going where it needs to go.

That's all we're saying.

- Yeah. - And it's a big deal.

- Yeah. - Well, the fact that we can

account for every cigar adds to our transparency,

which adds to our ability to get,

garner the platinum status.

- Unbelievable. - Because they were shocked,

They go, "Wait, you get goods."

Oh, we've seen this before. - Yeah.

- "How do you account for your goods?" Here.

"Oh, like, you really do account for your goods.

You really do. You can tell me how many-" Yes we can.

- Yeah.

- Well that's great.

Great to have the rigor in your system to be able to

follow the guidelines and then exceed the guidelines.

That's wonderful.

- Well, and the funny thing is our founders put all that

in our process.

And the interesting thing is, is it was easier

for us to meet those requirements because they were built

into our, our organization from the beginning.

- Sure. - I mean, it's just,

it's better to be

over-regulated within yourself than it is to be

under-regulated. - Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, that's right. - Yeah.

Start with the highest criteria.

- Yeah, that's right.

Yeah. You want that line really crisp and clear

so there are no questions about it.

- Yeah. So...

- And then you feel good about it, too.

- That's the way you run your business, right?

- Absolutely.

- And that's the way Cigars for Warriors

runs their donations.

No wonder why there's synergy here.

No wonder why you're saying yes and freely giving of Boveda.

- Yeah.

Not only just in the, the synergies

of how operations are run, but the purpose and the passion

of what you're doing really is,

is deep within us

as a core of a company, but as individuals that we, we value

and we cherish the men and women that serve for our country.

And we understand how important that is and how

hard that is and how

sometimes it's

forgotten when you watch the nightly news

and you hear all these things about how bad everything is.

But they never really ever highlight the service

that individuals are doing that are making a difference for

for us, in our freedoms in this country.

And you know, for me, I didn't serve either

but I had a dad that was a Marine, served. I lost-

my mother-

I lost my grandfather

when he was 22.

He was a fighter pilot for the Marines

and was shot down in the Korean War.

So my mom lost her dad when she was four years old.

- Wow.

- That's how my parents met, was in Quantico, Virginia,

at the, when my dad was there for Officer Candidate School.

And so I have that military background

and understand the passion.

And every year, you know, you forget how lives are impacted

and change from those experiences for serving and

and you know, ultimately paying the price with a life.

But, you know, I think of my mom and it's like,

wow, she grew up different, you know, without a dad for,

and trying to understand really what happened to him.

So, for us anyway, yeah,

I think it's, it's just something that we have a passion

about and we really believe that

that our men and women serving

for this country is really one of the ultimate sacrifices.

And for, so this is, this is easy for us to do.

- Right. And that's the, the thing I heard

in Tim's talk there, too that I thought was so important was

the news isn't gonna tell you the good stuff

but if you head over to cigarsforwarriors.org

that's where you get to read the stories.

That's where you get to see the interactions that are good.

That's where you get to see the men

and women who are fighting

for our country and our freedom sitting back

and enjoying a cigar just like you do.

So go over there and read the articles.

Get inspired to start your day, your week

your month with something good

something positive because the news isn't gonna bring it.

But the organizations that you support

that you want to support

the companies that you wanna support, they do.

They do have something good for you to get your day

going, to get some positive vibes going in your life.

It's not about getting eyeballs.

The news wants to get eyeballs.

We're about getting cigars to warriors.

That's it.

And we gotta tell that story over and over and

over again so that you go, "Yeah, fine, I'm reaching in

I'm putting my cigar out, I'm putting my stuff

out there because I see that it makes a difference."

If you have an opportunity to go to cigarsforwarriors.org

check it out.

They just created a new website so that you have

a better user experience.

You can see all the retail partners

that you can donate with.

You can see all the corporate sponsors, like Boveda,

and Xikar and all the other accessories,

and all the other cigar companies that even give money now.

- Yes. - Because they

can't give cigars, but they give money.

- Absolutely.

- To help with the shipping, cause shipping costs.

We have to pay the federal government to still ship it.

So there's money, there's cigars

there's Boveda, there's accessories.

Check it out.

If you have any questions about the website or you feel

like it could be a better experience, please email them.

They want the critique, they want the constructive criticism

because they want you to engage

in this platform that they're trying to build

so that you have a reason to give cigars to warriors.

Thank you, Trey.

- Thank you. And as we close, gentlemen,

we are celebrating our 10 years.

We are also celebrating a relationship over 10 years.

And I know you guys do it out of the goodness

of your heart and you don't care about the accolades

but I will tell you right now

the commitment from Boveda to our organization means more

to us than just about anything.

Because you joined us in the beginning,

continued to support us.

And I want everyone that listens

to this to understand how much we appreciate you

and the work that you guys have helped us do.

And we couldn't do it without you.

And we appreciate the 10 years

of support and we look forward to 10 more.

- Thank you, Trey.

So happy to be a part of it and really appreciate

those words. But, thank you.

- Thank you, both. - Yeah, thank you.

The very kind words.

We're happy to be a part of it.

- Well, we appreciate it. - Happy to see

what you guys guys have accomplished, too.

Really, truly amazing.

- I can't say anything more than that.

I was only here to facilitate the conversation.

Hopefully you guys get an idea

of how big of an impact this organization has.

If you can, please reach

into your pocket and donate cigars to warriors.

(patriotic music)

- The next time you light

up your favorite cigar, pause and give thanks.

Give thanks to the heroes who risk everything,

every day to make that moment possible for you.

Now, through Cigars for Warriors

you can do something for them.

(fire jet engine zooming)

Operation Cigars for Warriors delivers care

packages of premium cigars, magazines, coffee,

cigar accessories, and specialty items to

deployed U.S. service members who request them.

Our priorities are troops deployed in war zones

and troops who are on long-term deployments and floats.

Please consider donating either money or goods, like cigars,

cigar accessories, or coffee to Cigars for Warriors.

You'll be supporting a charity program operated

by a dedicated team of hundreds of volunteers.

And we've been at it for over a decade.

Every day, America's heroes do what has to be done.

Now, through Cigars for Warriors,

you can do something for them.

(music fades)