Οι Μυστικοί Κήποι του Robert Caldwell: Μια Αποκλειστική Συνέντευξη
Δημοσιεύτηκε: Τετ Μαρ 13, 2019 7:05 am
Αγαπητές φίλες & φίλοι του πούρου
Το cigarsforum.gr παρουσιάζει με ιδιαίτερη χαρά ενώπιον σας την πρώτη του κατ’ αποκλειστικότητα «διεθνή» συνέντευξη, στα πλαίσια μιας ευρύτερης απόπειρας να επικοινωνήσουμε και να συνομιλήσουμε με γνωστούς ανθρώπους του πούρου και πέρα από τα ελληνικά σύνορα, προσπάθεια που ευελπιστούμε να συνεχίσουμε.
Είχαμε την τιμή λοιπόν να έλθουμε σε επαφή με έναν διεθνούς φήμης και ακτινοβολίας cigar maker που τα τελευταία χρόνια άνοιξε νέους δρόμους στη βιομηχανία του πούρου, τον κύριο Robert Caldwell, ο οποίος ανταποκρίθηκε άμεσα και με θέρμη στην πρόσκληση που του απευθύναμε.
Mας μίλησε για το παρελθόν, το παρόν και το μέλλον του στον πλανήτη του γαλάζιου καπνού, εκθέτοντας τις σκέψεις, τα σχέδια, και τα όνειρα του. Αναφέρθηκε στις συνεργασίες του και τον τρόπο που εμπνέεται και εργάζεται, και μας κατέθεσε ενδιαφέροντα στοιχεία αποκαλύπτοντας πτυχές της πολυσχιδούς δραστηριότητας του.
Στο παρασκήνιο της συνέντευξης, εκτός των άλλων δώσαμε ραντεβού για συνάντηση μαζί του στην επόμενη επίσκεψη που θα πραγματοποιήσει στην Ελλάδα (πιθανότατα το επόμενο Φθινόπωρο), με κοινή επιθυμία τη διοργάνωση ενός event.
Φίλε Robert σε ευχαριστούμε πολύ και ανυπομονούμε να σε γνωρίσουμε κι από κοντά!
(η συνέντευξη δημοσιεύεται ταυτόχρονα και στο International Section του φόρουμ)
1. CF: Could you please tell us about your first steps in the cigar industry?
R.C: I started a hotel and restaurant distribution company in Miami about ten years ago. I had been an avid cigar consumer for a long time before that. I actually started the company with the intention of just being the investor. As things turned out, I ended up running it. It all began really as an accident.
2. CF: When and how did the Caldwell Cigar Co. project start?
R.C: Prior to Caldwell, I had started the Wynwood project in Miami with Christian Eiroa. We were good friends, but bad business partners. We parted ways and I immediately started planning the Caldwell brand. That was towards the end of 2013. We launched Caldwell in the spring of 2014.
3. CF: Given your big success with regard to your cigar blends; being a true pioneer, you have also introduced a new era of aesthetics, through your uniquely designed cigar bands and cigar boxes. We would really like to know, where do you harness this inspiration from and what drives/motivates you?
R.C: The truthful answer is everything. I have always been an entrepreneur and have always appreciated art and design. I became friendly with several artists, and spending time with them caused me to start to see things a little differently. I started seeing art and design in everything. Music has always influenced my creativity. Architecture is something that I currently am studying, which will probably be reflected at some time in the future in my designs.
4. CF: We are aware of your several successful collaborations with other cigar manufactures over the years. But apart from the economical aspect, what is that really intrigues you into going after a collaboration?
R.C: I like to say that if I am an Italian chef, working out of an Italian kitchen, using Italian ingredients, and I collaborate with a French Chef who uses French ingredients in a French kitchen, what will the outcome be? The ingredients, methodology and character will be both French but also Italian at heart. That is how I see the collaborations. I am comfortable and specialize in a certain realm of the market, and collaborating allows me to enter other realms of the market with someone who is comfortable there.
5. CF: What is your current annual cigar production?
R.C: We product right around 1.8 million cigars a year.
6. CF: Have you identified the impact of your brand entering the European market? What have been the greatest challenges you have come across, while operating in this market?
R.C: For us Europe has been amazing. I love our European consumers. It gives us great pride that our cigars have been so well-received abroad. The largest challenge for me has been trying to get the right products into the right markets. It is not only about understanding the consumer palates, but also, the taxes, smoking laws, etc.
7. CF: You are very well known and called a pioneer within the cigar industry. Could you tell us, what is your key to success?
R.C: Thank you. I have always followed my own instinct and never followed the rules. This led to my success, but could have equally led to my failure.
8. CF: Would you mind sharing with us, how is a typical day for you? What are the things you normally do?
R.C: This is a hard one because every day is different. I travel like crazy, so there is not much consistency. But I can tell you what I did today.
I wake up around 5am. I read for about three hours a day. Usually art, design, history and nature. I have a garden which I work in the morning. I spent approximately 6 hours on the phone and email. I worked on Design, packaging and some numbers. I have a meeting with an artist friend in the evening. I will cook a nice meal and relax with a cigar outside.
9. CF: If you could pick three cigars from your brand that are special to you, which would these three be? And why?
R.C: Eastern Standard - this was my first favorite. It is a lighter cigar, but very sophisticated.
Hit & Run - this is a collaboration with Matt Booth of Room101. This cigar is perfect to me. It is perfectly balanced, very rich, and has a ton of different subtle flavors.
Anastasia- I make this cigar with Ernesto Carrillo. This is a lighter cigar that builds with intensity through the finish. It is creamy, smooth and very rich. It has a ton of flavor, but not a ton of spice. This cigar has so much complexity that I still find new flavors after smoking it religiously for three years.
These are my choices, but I prefer lighter to medium bodied cigars. All of these cigars are mild to medium.
10. CF: What is different between Robert Caldwell of Wynwood Cigars and Robert Caldwell of Caldwell Cigar Co.? What has changed since then?
R.C: I think that my palate is more refined. At Wynwood I was a bit restricted with tobacco as well...I was limited in what was available to me. Now, I have a lot more options and have never stopped searching for more.
What has changed since then?
I'm a bit older than I was. Also maybe a bit more realistic. The cigar industry is an industry of pure passion. I never understood when people said this. I thought that they meant that they loved cigars so much that everything was great. I have come to learn that it means that when everything is falling apart, you still push forward only on your passion.
11. CF: What would be your plans and your dreams for the future?
R.C: Shit I am moving to Greece to enjoy the good life! There is no good saganaki in Miami.
12. CF: We would love to see your cigars been distributed and sold in our country. Are there any plans to do so? Any piece of information on the matter you could kindly share with us?
R.C: I would love to. I haven't met a Greek distributor yet.
