Veritas Cigars Names Chris Weber Chairman and CEO, Moves Several Lines to Fabrica Oveja Negra

There’s a new head of Veritas Cigars, as the company has announced that Chris Weber, the company’s vice president and marketing director, has been appointed chairman and chief operating officer.

While the company announced the move yesterday, the change was formally made on October 4, 2016, but kept under wraps until another big change for the company was complete: a move of the bulk of its production to Fabrica Oveja Negra, the factory in Estelí, Nicaragua that is best known for being home to Black Label Trading Co. and Black Works Studio.

Weber has been with Veritas Cigars since its inception in 2011 in his former role as vice president and marketing director, though he has also worked with the sales staff during that time. He told halfwheel that he recently bought out his partner and acquired all of the company’s shares, a move that necessitated the change in title. “I’ve never been a big fan of titles and as such tried not to use them,” he said.

Veritas Cigars currently offers five lines: Veritas, 412, 3 Blends, Torch Connecticut and Torch Habano. Weber added that a limited edition is in the works for a yet-to-be-determined release date, though he did hint that it will be at the upcoming IPCPR Convention & Trade Show in July. The company has already begun migration of most of its brands to Fabrica Oveja Negra, and Weber expects the move to be completed by the end of June, with the first boxes arriving in stores by the end of July.

One brand that isn’t moving is the Veritas core line, which will be kept at Luis Cuevas’ Tabacalera Las Lavas factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Weber noted that he has been “crazy impressed” with Black Label Trading Co.’s lines, and said that when he and James Brown of Fabrica Oveja Negra began speaking about a move of Veritas’ production to the factory, both saw the potential for Veritas’ future. “James took my ideas and vision and incited some of his own which you’ll see moving forward,” Weber told halfwheel.

“Touring his factory seemed like an insight into the man I’d call one of the underrated artisans of the industry,” Weber noted. “From the second I arrived I felt like family and halfway through the first day I’d made my mind up. By the end of the week I could see I made the right choice.”

Brown was straight forward in his thoughts about Veritas’ decision to move the bulk of its production to Fabrica Oveja Negra. “Our goal is to help support other boutique brands and grow the premium-cigar market,” he said in a press release.

As for what Weber has planned for Veritas? “There will be some changes going forward both big like the factory change, and small like updates to our site and outreach,” he said. “As time goes on you’ll see us gradually move up in the crawl, walk, run phases we are laying out.”