“The wheel is come full circle.” So said William Shakespeare long ago, but the notion is never more true than today. With Michael Giannini as General Manager at Ventura Cigars, parent company, Kretek International, Inc. has just acquired the Foundry Tobacco Company. This marks a return of a brand to its master, as under his tenure at General Cigars, Giannini created Foundry Tobacco Company, disrupting the cigar scene with its edgy look and avant-garde experience. Most of the Foundry cigars are back under the wing of Giannini and now under the powerful distribution arm of Kretek International.
“It’s both a new day, and a familiar day,” says Giannini. “To see Foundry boxes on my Ventura Cigars’ desk is a little bit unreal. And yet, it seems so normal to have them sitting there. Almost like they are returning home. I’m thankful to General Cigars for taking such good care of the brand, and to the solid relationship between General and Kretek International that enabled this new phase for Foundry. I’m proud to represent the brand, both where it started, and now where it’s headed.”
“We’re excited to bring Foundry Tobacco Company brands into our fold,” says Jason Carignan, CMO of Kretek International, Inc. “Their products have an edge that plays well with our vibe, and the quality of their smoke is exactly what we’ve built Kretek’s reputation upon. General Cigars has done an amazing job with Foundry, and we’re going to keep up the good work that they’ve started.”
Effective immediately, Kretek International, Inc. will begin distributing Foundry Tobacco Company brands. Foundry’s popular Time Flies blend, developed in collaboration with A.J. Fernandez, is moving under Ventura Cigars. The company will soon begin to work on new blends under the Foundry brand, which will be announced soon.
