The Suave Disruption
The Man in the Arena
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
~ Teddy Roosevelt
disruption
/dɪsˈrʌpʃn/
noun
“change to an existing industry or product due to innovation”
“Vicente Blends will disrupt the cigar industry simply by educating and presenting fresh perspectives”
The Vicente Blends Disruption
The words of Vicente, “Vicente Blends has been a passion project of mine for some time. And my disruptive ideas (disruption is a part of my DNA) are not only about redefining core basics but also about positioning and timing, two aspects overlooked and are typically the main reasons why great products fail. And I truly believe the timing is perfect to position Vicente as an ultra-luxury brand or what we call have termed a Life Style Brand.
I am an avid cigar lover and aficionado (defined as someone having pure passion for cigars) but I also fundamentally believe a true aficionado should push the envelope of change and creativity for the betterment of themselves and the greater good. A true aficionado should always search for answers and ask the question, Why?”
Following your passion, trusting in your own experience and instinctively asking the tough questions…this is what I call positive disruption.
Now I know many will ask why am I giving everyone such deep and detailed information about my goals and strategies? This is a lot to take in and not everyone really cares.”
The answer is this “We will be the first cigar manufacturer to truly present a newly unique and powerful story. I just don’t want anyone to smoke our cigars. I want those aficionados who just want a true and decisive alternative to enjoy. And I am certain that once you light up a Vicente, you will truly understand my words, passion and the final product of Vicente.”
Vicente continuing, “I don’t want our product to be sold just by having a unique website, solid content, and a great product. I want to give you more. I want to help educate everyone (even those whom believe there is nothing more to learn) and to force a new evolution in you by becoming a true believer and Vicente Aficionado simply by feeding off of our passion.”
I know there are many aficionados out there who will see this as a breath of fresh air, while others may critique us. I do appreciate everyone’s opinion as long as the criticism is positive and constructive but not negative. Negativity has no place within the Vicente house.
By no means, am I trying to be disrespectful to anyone within the industry. But, I am trying to push the limits for everyone to see the possibilities and potential of a new philosophy within the cigar industry. I want everyone to see what we believe what a cigar was truly meant to be, not just blended and rolled to maintain demand, but to be blended and rolled with love and a passionate purpose.
It’s true. At the present time of writing this (July/August 2020), I am a “nobody” in this industry, nothing more than an unknown aficionado like millions of others. However, I am one of a very few to get into the cigar industry in such turbulent times (pandemic). Just the excitement of creating and offering change, regardless of succeeding or failing, is what truly drives me. And to have met 100’s of aficionados over the past few years and to see their eyes light up tasting our blends and hearing about the story has been exhilarating and validated my position to move forward and launch Vicente Blends. It is those aficionados (you know who you are) who helped solidify the importance of launching Vicente Blends and have been through the blending and aging process with us and your input has been invaluable.
One thing is for sure, the seeds Vicente plants will grow. It’s just a matter of time until other cigar manufacturers may copy portions of Vicente Blends, this is inevitable. But whatever the outcome will be it be spectacular for sure.
Vicente’s Hard Truth
The cigar industry is very old, traditional, and sophisticated and of which I love. I have met so many amazing people. But, in my opinion, there has been a “herd mentality” created and has existed for a long time. By this I mean, everyone is trying to create great cigars thinking they can just do it better and cheaper than the incumbents. The problem with herd mentality is, it dilutes the essence of the products being offered and causes blindness for the consumers because there are too many options. This may sound tough, but there are so many aficionados who agree with my words but rarely have the setting to debate this topic.
Vicente Blends has performed our research and has targeted a specific niche within the cigar industry. We respect all of the current brands but never worried about the competition because we know the product we are offering is truly unique. This is why we have focused on every aspect of Vicente Blends, down to engineering of the cigar construction and weight. As well as an incredibly unique and identifiable marketing strategy that enhances our entire product line and will always be remembered by those whom enjoy and relax with a Vicente cigar.
To date, the only construction criticism we have received is that the price point maybe too expensive to smoke a Vicente every day. My response is that I do not want you to smoke a Vicente every day, I want to create this infatuation in you which that makes you desire a Vicente 1 time per week or even month. I do not want to enhance the blindness created by so many options and repetition but rather offer that 1 option which fades the blindness and allows our Vicente Aficionados to focus properly of what they really enjoy in a cigar.
I also dislike the word “boutique brand”, it makes me feel like I walking into a clothing shop for my wife. We truly believe our cigars will enhance your lifestyle, hence, we created a new term by calling ourselves a Life Style Brand. Because cigars are a part of your lifestyle, we feel this term is more fitting for everyone.
Here at Vicente, we have started from the ground level then re-engineered all aspects, and manufactured everything to precise details and it clearly shows by the outstanding response we have been receiving by all the newly converted Vicente Aficionado’s.
In closing, I am only a man getting into the arena with a distinct vision without fear of failing.
Enjoy!
“Vicente”
If your wife doesn't like the aroma of your cigar, change your wife
~ Zino Davidoff
"Run Zino, Run!" ~ Vicente