Exploring Life & Business with David Haddad of Fumar Cigars

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Haddad. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Described by many as a self-styled showman with a flair for renaissance, David D. Haddad has been collecting rare cigars and one-of-a-kind spirits for nearly 3 decades. A bard in the world of cigars and Prohibition Era Spirits, David has brought some of the most famous of the world’s decision-makers, entertainers, and captains of industry to step back in time and “Experience the Moment” with his stories and collectibles. Introducing to the Cigar industry an entirely new business model, providing luxury hospitality industry, world-class event production to nationally recognized gatherings (PGA, Collector Car Auctions, Churchill Downs), and major corporations personal amenity programs on a national scale. David is a sought-after public speaker and a member of the “Distinguished Speakers Series” University of Denver. Founded Fumar Cigars in 1995, operations in 22 states and 42 markets providing cigar services to 400+ resorts from coast to coast, cigar retail store, and private club in 2006 in the Phoenix, Az  

Raised in a small “Rockwell Painting” town in Ohio, University of Denver Hotel School Graduate (BSBA).  

Developed restaurant concepts from Dallas/Houston to Sanibel Island, Florida to Keystone Ski Resort to Montana, California, and finally ended up in Phoenix/Scottsdale in 1994.  

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Entrepreneurship is NEVER a smooth road! Risk is daily, and rewards are achieved over long years of slogging through the morass of stress. Failure is part of the process and rarely avoided by those who risk. Starting a new business model and creating a new industry, which Fumar Cigars did when I launched it in 1995 is not for the faint of heart. Sharing how we could bring together 2 storied and legacy industries, Luxury Hospitality and the Cigar world, was not easy. Building a national company, inventing new strategies, chasing receivables, battling negative cash flow, ever changing environment of the tobacco industry through regulation/taxation/obfuscation has been a very challenging mindset and required much discipline and perseverance. There are hundreds of examples of us trying to work in new tracking tools, financial hardships, debt (zero debt now!) and staffing a new idea, and finding like-minded people to support the cause!  

We’ve been impressed with Fumar Cigars Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a service provider, entertainment option, fulfillment program, consulting company, and special client services, and we deal in rare and hard-to-find products and custom amenities. Fumar provides over 400 luxury resorts, world-class golf clubs, destination properties, and on-premises consignment cigar programs, teaching and training staff across the country on how to sell their cigars to guests. Tracking hundreds of thousands of cigars, dollars, and equipment in 22 states with 4 offices to support this effort. We also provide a world-class entertainment option in custom cigar bars for corporate and weddings, golf events, and charitable programs. Since launching this option in 1998, we have performed over 8,000 events and annually perform about 450+ events per year. Often, there are 4-8 events a day, all with custom-banded cigars for the clients. We use approximately 500,000 cigars a year in our event programs! No other company does these things. We are completely vertically integrated; owning the production, labeling, and performances with an overnight turnaround is unheard of anywhere. Our on-premises business as a CONSIGNMENT program allows us to put very rare and expensive cigars at certain very exclusive lactations, giving them marketing opportunities and “bragging” rights of having the rarest offerings, setting them apart from their competition. Also, the expense involved with this type of model (providing custom humidors made to fit the property, fulfillment, and support) is expensive to us, easy for the clients (the resorts) to say “yes,” and VERY hard for anyone else to steal our locations, quite the barrier to entry. Having created dozens of cigar lounges for major resorts allowed us to start a consulting division to assist others to build their own cigar lounges using my intellectual property. We are hospitality experts that happen to sell cigars, this mindset sets us apart from our competitors. They sell cigars; we provide a service.  

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Being a leader early. I was in theater as a singer/dancer/actor, performing hundreds of shows. It taught me to be a good speaker and to take people along on a journey. Being president of my high school class, I led my fellow classmates to fun and excitement.  

Being my parents’ son, hopefully exceeding their expectations and carrying their legacy forward 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fumarcigarsusa.com
• Instagram: @fumarcigars
• Facebook: #fumarcigars
• Linkedin: Fumar Cigars