Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

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Εγγραφή: Σάβ Φεβ 03, 2018 10:43 am

Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

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Εικόνα

Dear friends of the cigar,

Following the two quite successful interviews with Robert Caldwell and Dion Giolito, cigarsforum.gr is very excited to present you with a third interview of international calibre, with an important and well-known brand (outside of Cuba) in the cigar business.
This time we had the pleasure to talk to Oliva Cigars; a marca with a considerable heritage and a long-standing tradition in tobacco making.

Mr Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO of J. Cortès (J. Cortès N.V acquired Oliva Cigar Co. back in 2016), kindly afforded us with his time and this interview, talking about the roots of the family who started the business and their first steps, together with how they managed to become a well-established brand in the market and their future; as envisaged by the owners today.

Frederik shared with us several interesting stuff, like the way they manufacture their cigars, the Oliva philosophy, the response from the European market, their famous Melanio series, the non-cuban master benders, Cuban tobacco and of course presence of the Oliva bland within the Greek and Cypriot market.

Mr Vandermarliere, our dear friend, we would like to thank you once again for this great honour.

-We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our member Cagdascildir, for kindly offering his help to make this interview happen, our member Vlassis (Jazzman) for his valuable contribution and our associate Thanos (Tournesol) for his continuous support throughout this project.
-The notable response from those first steps to reach out to important people of the cigar world, has given us some great momentum and therefore our endeavour to those “international waters” will carry on…


Εικόνα

1. CF: The Oliva brand is one of the most popular brands in the cigar scene, with a rich an continuously growing portfolio, also holding a huge share of today’s cigar market. Could you give us a brief timeline of Oliva Cigar Co. progress through the years, including notable milestones since your very early days?

FV: The history of Oliva goes back much further than my early days. Melanio Oliva cultivated his first tobacco crop in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba in 1886. His growing operations were suspended while he fought in the Cuban War of Independence. After returning from the war, Melanio resumed his tobacco growing operations. In the early 1920’s Melanio’s son Facundo Oliva took over the grow¬ing operations. Facundo cultivated the Oliva family tobacco fields for several decades. As Cuba became overrun by the Communists, the tobacco landscape changed. Facundo’s son Gilberto Oliva shifted from growing, to brokering tobacco. In the early 60’s the pressure became too great and Gilberto traveled from country to country in search of the conditions to recreate that distinctive Cuban taste.
Gilberto finally found fertile ground in Nicaragua. Today the Oliva (and now also our) family are one of Nicaragua’s largest growers of Cuban-seed tobac¬co. Using the same time tested methods of curing, blending, and rolling, the Oliva cigar line-up has collected top-ratings from industry experts and consumers alike, culminating with Cigar Aficionado Magazine awarding the Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado cigar of the Year in 2014. The story of Oliva is clearly one of a neverending resurrection.
The paths of both families crossed for the first time in 2012, when I met the family during a round-trip through Nicaragua. The initial plan was to make a cigar together, but it was clear they wanted to leave the cigar business and the result was the acquisition of their company in 2016. It has been a fantastic journey so far, especially since we managed to consistently continue the quality and knowhow with the same team. We have great people and since our values are close to the ones of the Oliva family, they felt immediately at home when we arrived. I feel blessed and honoured to have such a team!!

Εικόνα

2. CF: How important is the cigar and tobacco business to Nicaragua, and how much you think has today’s cigar market changed since the cigar boom of the 90’s?

FV: For Estelli, in the Northern part of Nicaragua, the cigar business is very important. The city is growing and economy is flourishing. Cigars are an important source of income, not only directly for the 40.000 employees but also indirectly. The 90’s did bring a lot of change. Nicaragua had to battle for equality and always had to prove itself harder than anyone else in the business. Their esteem grew over the years, but they have been an underdog for a long time.

3. CF: Based on the market’s current conditions, do you think a mediocre or basic cigar would succeed in selling big, especially when it’s backed up by a consistent and costly marketing strategy?

FV: No. Especially not in the US where people are positively spoiled because of the competition. You simply cannot sell or market a bad cigar in contrast to the period during the boom where you could sell everything. The post boom period pushed bad cigars out of the market. If the product is not good, it’s impossible to succeed nowadays. Moreover, a good cigar is not only about the way it’s rolled, but also about the tobacco and its fermentation.

Εικόνα

4. CF: If you could describe your cigars and the philosophy behind those, what would that be?

FV: The cigars are in my opinion always well-balanced with loads of flavour. Even the lighter cigars are always characterized by their flavour. The philosophy, which is funny enough the one both families had in common since generations, is that we offer a perfect quality cigar at a good price. Finally, to complete our product, we have one secret ingredient… passion!

5. CF: Are you satisfied with the current status of your cigars in the European market?

FV: No, it could always be better. Building a brand in a competitive market is a long journey. But we believe in a long-term growth, rather than quick wins.

6. CF: Do you have rollers and bunchers that work in pairs, or does one person bunch and roll the cigar from start to finish? What is the idea behind this approach?

FV: We have bunchero’s and rollero’s who always work in pair. We also try to keep the couples together. If one ruins the cigar, it’s also ruined for the other…
The philosophy is to assure the quality. Each particular task has its knowhow and skills and mostly, a person is either roller or buncher.

Εικόνα

7. CF: Why do you think non-Cuban cigars, have no issues related to draw? Unlike Cubans where it is quite common for a cigar to be really tight and give a rather unpleasant smoking experience. Do you think it is up to the way they are rolled?

FV: First of all, it’s not my style to comment on other people’s work… But ok, now that you ask, in Cuba it’s not always easy. The demand is bigger than the supply which may result in less control over the process and consequently the quality.

8. CF: What do you consider as being different between Cuban and non-Cuban cigars (if there is any difference), with regards to the quality of the tobacco leaves but also with the level of production? Have you ever considered or been intrigued by the thought of making a cigar by blending together Cuban and non-Cuban tobacco? Do you think this would be of any real interest?

FV: A cigar is a blend of tobacco. Good tobacco makes a good cigar. Making a good cigar costs time, it can easily take 3 years to make a cigar, taking in consideration the different steps of growing, fermentation, making and aging. As a family, we have always had long term results in mind. We never jeopardize quality for volume. This is one of our core values. The downside is that our cigars sometimes run out of stock but better sell no cigar than a bad cigar.
Making cigars is blending and we are definitely intrigued by the thought of making a cigar with Cuban and non-Cuban tobacco. On our testing table you will find some Cuban tobacco as well. But not only blending Cuban tobacco is interesting, we are also thinking about Dominican, Brazilian, Cameroon tobacco, we love playing with the idea of combining these blends.

Εικόνα

9. CF: How many different cigars series have you currently got it production and how many people do you currently have under employment in your business?

FV: Oliva currently has 12 series in production. Based in both Estelli and Miami we have over 1500 employees.

10. CF: What makes Oliva Serie V and Oliva Serie V Melanio so special and sought after? Could you share with us a few words about these cigar lines? They happen to be a favourite by the members of our cigar community. We think they truly express Oliva’s true character and overall philosophy.

FV: Thank you for the compliment. It’s nice to hear and a recognition for the hard work.
All credits for these amazing cigars go to Gilberto Jr., who is a fantastic blender. There is no actual secret to these cigars, they’re pure, 100% tobacco, rolled the traditional way. It’s clear that these cigars are completely in line with our philosophy, always respecting the timeline of the process. We would like to further develop this blend and work on a new cigar, together with the core team and Gilberto Jr.

Εικόνα

11. CF: What would you identify as the reason for keeping Oliva cigars so successful for decades, in a row and them being considered as one of the top cigar brands internationally, and what do you feel distinguishes Oliva Cigars from other cigar manufacturers?

FV: The core values of Oliva play a crucial role in the success of the brand. The starting point, good cigars at a reasonable price, is still the crucial idea we support. Staying true to long-term strategy, choosing for sustainable relationships rather than quick wins, having great respect for the way our grandfathers made cigars/grew tobacco, without losing the international approach & the great passion I referred to earlier, are the key elements of Oliva’s success. We’re one of the only family owned companies that truly has a base in both Europe and the US, which gives us a unique vision and mixed cultural background, a strong asset in the cigar business.

12. CF: Who you think is/are the most “inspired” tobacco blenders in the cigar industry today outside of Cuba?

FV: I immediately think of Gilberto Jr, someone I highly respect, as I mentioned earlier. I am also very proud to have a rising star in our team, Ernesto Milanes, an ex-Cuban who has already shown great talent and of whom you will be definitely hearing more in the future.
Besides them, there are many others who can make great cigars. Difficult to choose, but if you ask my top 3 whom I really appreciate in the way they blend & look at cigars, then I would say Ernesto Perez Carillo, Henrik Jr Kelner and Abdel Fernandez.

Εικόνα

13. CF: If you could pick three cigars from your brand that are special to you, which would these three be? And why?

FV: 1. You already named my favorites, the Serie V and Melanio V Figurado. A classic smoke with rich tones of leather framed by a range of coffee, caramel and woody intonations.
2. A Lancero is a very difficult cigar to make. The V-blend is a fantastic blend but in the making process you have to be careful to have a good drawing. It’s full of flavor with a peppery start that transitions to a profile of spices, chocolate and coffee. Exceptionally smooth, rich and oily.
3. Finally I would choose the NUB Connecticut. A cigar with Connecticut wrapper is not always as loved, as it has a difficult, slightly severe taste. But the Nicaragua filler and Connecticut wrapper form a perfect blend. This Nub renders a smooth, medium-bodied smoke laced with complex woody and toasty flavors.

14. CF: What are your plans and your dreams for the future?

FV: Our dream is to find at least 1 Oliva cigar in every single humidor in the world. Our plan is stay true to our values and keep on making cigars by respecting the past in a humble way & with a lot of passion.

Εικόνα

15. CF: As of today, Oliva cigars are of limited availability in our country. Are you planning to take any action against that or have you got any plan to further expand into the Greek/Cypriot market?

FV: In Greece, we have only started January of 2019. After ten months we have seen a big interest for Oliva and Nub from the Greek aficionados.
In Cyprus we have been working for many years but with some more focus since this year. Our plan is definitely to further expand our presence in both countries.

Frederik Vandermarliere
CEO at J. Cortès

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Εγγραφή: Τρί Φεβ 06, 2018 7:28 pm

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

Δημοσίευση από suleygiannis »

I would like to thank Mr Frederik Vandermarliere for this exclusive, detailed and enlightening interview about the world famous Oliva brand.
It is always a pleasure for us to host people's opinions, especially those who are specialized on cigars.
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Εγγραφή: Πέμ Φεβ 08, 2018 4:31 pm

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

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Mr Frederik Vandermarliere thanks for this great interview.
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Εγγραφή: Παρ Φεβ 02, 2018 1:04 pm

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

Δημοσίευση από admin »

Very special thanks to our very special guest for his extremely interesting - magnificent interview.
Mr. Vandermarliere, it’ an honor and a big pleasure to have your remarkable presence in our forum.

Many thanks also, to our members Cagdascildir, Jazzman, and Tournesol, for their valuable help.

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Εγγραφή: Δευ Σεπ 17, 2018 8:16 am

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

Δημοσίευση από Jazzman »

I would like to thank the Vandermarliere family and especially Fred, for sharing their wealth of knowledge on the cigar industry. Greek aficionados will certainly appreciate your input greatly. Special thanks go out to “El Jefe” Takis, Thanos, Çağdaş and Mr. Thomas Gryson as well as the whole cigarsforum admin team. It was their collective effort that made this interview possible!
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Εγγραφή: Πέμ Φεβ 08, 2018 3:28 pm

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

Δημοσίευση από Petran »

Another great interview for cigarsforum.gr!!!

special thanks to everyone who helped and contributed to making this interview a fabulous success!!!
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Εγγραφή: Τρί Φεβ 06, 2018 2:08 pm

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

Δημοσίευση από Fairlight »

Many thanks to Mr Frederik Vandermarliere and everyone else in our forum who worked hard to make this possible.
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Εγγραφή: Πέμ Οκτ 24, 2019 11:19 am

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

Δημοσίευση από cagdascildir »

Wonderful interview! I truly love their cigars! Thanks to Cigarsforum.gr Family and board members. I just love the whole concept. Looking forward to see the next interviews. I am glad to be a very small part of this interview and I am super uber happy to see Cigarsforum.gr board and members feedback!

I wish to see everyone in person from Cigarsforum.gr, to smoke an Oliva cigar together! Maybe with a fine drink or Ena Cappuccino Freddo Sketto :D :D Efharisto para para poli for beautiful words!!!
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Εγγραφή: Πέμ Μάιος 31, 2018 1:38 pm

Re: Oliva: the Brand, the Family, the Heritage - A very special Interview with Frederik Vandermarliere, CEO at J. Cortès

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Congrats!! Incredible!! Bravo once again to our forum
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