Jim Colucci has been working tirelessly to refresh the Gurkha Cigars brand since he took over as president and CEO of the company back in January, 2019. He has revamped packaging, improved cigar blends, reintroduced older lines, solidified his marketing and sales teams, and put cigars back into consumers’ hands. The buzz around the company’s exhibit booth at the 2022 PCA trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada confirmed his approach is working.
Colucci stopped excessive spending on packing and used the cost savings to improve cigar blends by using better, more expensive tobaccos. “So far it has worked for us,” said Colucci. “Consumers are aware that we have much better cigars than we have ever had.”
Colucci and his team showcased two cigars at this year’s trade show, including a brand-new product and the rebirth of an old favorite.
The Colección Especial is a new, limited release that is only being offered to the company’s best 150 retail accounts, which will put them in about 300 stores worldwide. The reason for its exclusivity is the limited availability of the hybrid Ecuador Connecticut wrapper being used. The binder is a Mexican Sumatra and the filler consists of Seco Habano and Connecticut Broadleaf.
“Because the wrapper is limited, we can only make 250,000 to 300,000 cigars,” explained Colucci.
The Colección Especial will be offered in three sizes, robusto, lonsdale, and toro and each presented in 10-count boxes. They will retail for 13, 14, 15 USD respectively.
Pure Evil is back. The company decided to bring back the old favorite but with a little different blend and packaging. “It is the right cigar at the right time,” said Colucci. It is a medium-full bodied smoke that has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and a Nicaraguan binder and filler blend. The new Pure Evil will be a regularly produced line that will begin shipping in August.
Juan Lopez, vice president of sales and Bianca Melone, marketing director, have done their part to put cigars back into consumers’ hands by resuming in-store events, hiring new sales representatives, and creating strong print and social media advertising campaigns.
“I want the brand to be known out there again as a quality cigar,” Colucci emphasized.
