Omar de Frias’ Fratello Cigars has been one of the more talked about brands since debuting last year, and it seems that the buzz has carried over to 2014.

Fratello IPCPR 2014-2

Fratello sponsored the seminar about FDA and legislative issues that got his cigar into the hands of a number of retailers, and it seemed like many of them were making an effort to visit his booth. The highlight of the booth was the Fratello Boxer, a box-pressed torpedo that was released last month.

Fratello IPCPR 2014-3

de Frias tells us he’s got some other projects in the works but that are still a ways off, but sound like some fitting next steps for the company.

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Patrick Lagreid

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 previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.