Drew Newman first experienced the exotic world of cigars during Spring Break aged just 11.
His father, Eric, took him along to a cigar road trip to Dominican Republic, and although it was an eye-opening experience (“They had Presidente beer or rum; no water for the young boy!”) it confirmed what he already knew.
Cigars were what he wanted to be in.
Fast forward 30 plus years, and Drew now heads up the mighty US cigarmaking giant that is JC Newman. The brand sends cigars to scores of countries around the world – some of them remote and unheard of, speaking cigar wise.
“We have accounts in the Ivory Coast, and someone was in here earlier, enquiring about getting our cigars to Tahiti. Can you imagine?” he says, still retaining that boyish enthusiasm for his first love.
“We love this tradeshow – the Cigar Journal awards are the only chance we, as cigar makers, get to actually sit down with each other, relax and enjoy each other’s company. We normally just wave at each other in passing.”
To illustrate the point, Tony Gomez of La Flor Dominicana strolls by and the pair share a quick hello.
“I don’t know if my kids will want to join the business – they are only young, but they love going to the factory to see uncle Bobby and their grandfather. I was never pushed into the family business, it happened because I wanted it to.”
After studying law, working in the government and for a non-profit organisation, Drew felt the time was right a few years back to use the skills he had garnered to take on the family business to new levels.
It’s to his credit – and the rest of his family, who are generally regarded as the nicest people in the business – that JC Newman shows no signs of slowing up their generational, historic production of fine cigars.
