Boveda Takes Back Distribution

As of Jan. 1, Boveda will once again be distributed by Boveda Inc.

The Minnesota-based company makes small two-way humidity pouches for a variety of industries including premium cigars, where it has been a presence since the late 1990s. In the summer of 2010, the company announced that it had turned over distribution of its products in the cigar business to Ashton, something that will end at the close of this year.

“We appreciate the tremendous effort Ashton has made the last 4 years and we’re thankful to all the sales representatives and countless inside individuals for all their work in the distribution of Boveda.” said Sean Knutsen, president and ceo of Boveda, in a press release.

While the products and their functionality have remained the same over the last five years, much at the company has changed. A few years ago it rebranded its packaging. This year, it has spent a lot of resources expanding its co-op program that works directly with cigar manufacturers to place the humidity devices inside every box of cigars. Now, Boveda will once again handle its own distribution.

A spokesperson for the company told halfwheel that Boveda, Inc. plans on handling all of the distribution in-house and without the use of brokers or independent sales representatives. An online sales portal has already been launched with retail orders for premium tobacco shipping as of Jan. 1.

The Ashton-Boveda relationship has gone beyond simply the selling of the products, as Ashton’s Savoy humidors not only come with Bovedas, but also feature built-in slots for the products.