Rocky Patel jokes that, for the first few years, he had no clue what he was doing, but he had a few years to figure it out. In 1996, the Indian-born, Hollywood lawyer bought into a compatriot’s tobacco factory, before founding his own company, the Rocky Patel Premium Cigar Company, in 2003. More than 30 series have been launched by the company since it was founded.
Patel is known for his remarkable cigar blends, such as The Vintage 1990, Connecticut, Sun Grown and Decade. He has made a name for himself in the cigar world not just as a manufacturer, but also as a master marketer. In fact, he once embarked on a tour of 600 cities over a span of 750 days to promote his cigars. As a vocal advocate for smokers’ rights, he fearlessly takes on the anti-smoking lobby in the US – an issue close to his heart as an avid smoker himself. From a business perspective, Patel can rest easy knowing that his production facilities in Honduras and Nicaragua are struggling to keep pace with demand, as only five percent of his company’s products make their way to Europe.
A survivor of the cigar boom, Patel has outlasted his competition with unrivaled persistence on his quest for perfection. With a grueling travel schedule, office responsibilities and production, Rocky still maintains the enthusiasm that he has had since day one. As he travels the world, putting his cigars in the mouths of his consumers, his passion extends beyond the retailer, allowing his customers the experience of meeting the man behind their favorite smokes. Rocky Patel has created a company that outshines even those created by multimillion dollar corporations, and he’s doing it one customer at a time.