J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is back in France by way of a new distribution agreement with Volutes et Vitoles.
The agreement, which went into effect on April 1, brings the company’s Perla del Mar Natural Shade, Maduro, and Corojo lines to France, along with the value-oriented Quorum lines.
“My family has had a love for France for more than 60 years,” said four-generation owner Drew Newman in a press release. “In 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy made it illegal for Americans to import Cuban tobacco. After that happened, France is what saved our company.”
Newman went on to say that following the Cuban Embargo, his grandfather, Stanford J. Newman, began traveling to Paris for three weeks each June to select the finest Cameroon wrapper tobacco leaves for the company’s cigars.
“My grandfather knew that the French had the finest tobacco leaves in the world, and he went to Paris to buy them and bring them back to the United States. Because of his decades of travel to Paris, my grandfather developed a strong affinity for the French people and French culture. He shared countless cigars with his many friends in France. Therefore, we are especially proud that our J.C. Newman cigars are available in France again with our new partner. We hope that French consumers will enjoy our J.C. Newman cigars in France again, just like they did with my grandfather 60 years ago.”
I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G-League’s Valley Suns. I was previously the PA announcer for the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League, and Goodyear Ballpark, spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I’m a voiceover artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.