Once upon a time, a young man with tattoos on his arms decided he wanted to enter the premium cigar business, which at the time, was a “polished man’s” game. He broke down the barriers and worked with an elite cigar maker and factory to produce one of the earlier and most successful of the newer boutique brands. That brand is known as Tatuaje, and it perhaps one of the most recognizable brands today. The man who held his head high and stuck to his guns and earned his way in is Pete Johnson.
Pete is a true innovator and someone who has such love and passion for cigar making. He respects the old traditional values of the Cuban ways and the heritage that surrounds cigar making. But Johnson also loves to experiment with the newer methods of today to push himself higher. Both of these core values are represented in his products everyday. Tatuaje has almost always been able to place on our lists and always seems to excite the team whenever it comes up for something we are doing.
But that goes back to Pete because he created the brand, its culture and its identity. He continues to grown the presence everyday with his outstanding core lines while playing around and giving us excitement with limited edition projects such as the infamous Monster Series. For those fortunate enough to be a member, Pete also created the exclusive Saints and Sinners club where members have received special cigars or exclusive sizes to blends we all know and love. It is something I wish more brands had in their stable.
Pete has always been humble about his position, but the truth comes out in his work. He may not consider himself a “master” of this craft, but he is a true artist of it. He continues to be an example and a leader for others who are looking to build the business from the ground up just like him. People talk about “cigar influencers”. In my opinion, it isn’t the people on social media taking photos with other peoples creations, its people like Pete who demonstrate what it means to be a trendsetter by making great products, in a different way, and being a successful business owner that anyone can relate to.
Pete has also been an instrumental supporter of the industry and protecting its rights. He is a major supporter of the Premium Cigar Association and the Cigar Rights of America. He also was a major part of the Hand Rolled documentary series which has been a brilliant way of showing the world why we love this business and what it does for us.
Lastly, I want to add this personally. Many of the folks in this industry are good to the media. When I say that I don’t mean they give us cigars or swag and give us stuff to make us happy. I am talking about people who treat us with respect and see our love for the craft of cigar making and smoking. Pete is no exception, as he has always showed us the respect and given us so much of his time and I think that says a lot about who he is as a human being alone. Congratulations Pete Johnson and thank you.
