Alec Bradley cigars are sold by the company Alan Rubin started in 1996, which he named after his sons. Unlike many cigar company owners who seem to have generations of tobacco flowing in their veins, Alan Rubin worked after college with his father in a company importing fasteners to sell to cabinet companies. Later, after Florida was hit by Hurricane Andrew, the company decided to change its focus to hurricane fasteners. This was a higher volume, but low-margin product, and the company was doing quite well when they sold it.
Rubin did not know what he wanted to do next, but he knew he did not want to deal with employees or inventory. Of course, things did not work out quite the way he expected, as he ended up dealing with just that. It was all due to his love of the cigar making tradition. He appreciated the fact that the machinery could not force the end product to a faster end, and the technology had to make way for the slower requirements of the smokes. He ended up in the field, ultimately selling Alec Bradley cigars, even though it fit none of his earlier requirements for what he was looking for in a new company. He named it after his children, and because his father had taught him to name companies so they started with an “A,”—that way they would be at the beginning of the phone book.
Unfortunately, he faced many struggles to keep this new company afloat, not least of which were the two times the company almost went under due to poor choices for a business model. Apparently cigar smoking enthusiasts were not in need of a company solely selling to golf courses or one selling discounted flavored stogies. These two attempts were called Bogey’s Stogies and Gourmet Dessert Cigars, respectively.
He soldiered on though, and fortunately for the existence of his company and the Alec Bradley cigars, ultimately ended up working to create a new brand with Hendrik Kelner, the Davidoff maker. Things started to look up for Rubin after he made this connection with Kelner. The line was called the Occidental Reserve, because Kelner wanted to advertise the Occidental factory, and they sent out 500 two-pack samplers to vendors. They later called all the vendors who had received the samples to see if they thought this product could sell, and received 300 customers ready to retail these inexpensive, quality stogies. With these new customers, Rubin was able to pay off the significant existing customer debt and move forward with some new ideas.
The company had its first profitable year four years after the founding. Since then the company has continued to thrive. In 2007, Alec Bradley cigars welcomed a new one to the line: The Tempus. The name means time in Latin, and was to indicate to length of time waiting for the tobacco to be ready. It was the company’s first full-bodied cigar, as the other ones had been no stronger than medium-bodied. It was also the first smoke with the company’s name as the top-billed company involved.
Butane torch lighters are also sold along with Alec Bradley cigars and both can be found at your favorite cigar shop.
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