Crowned Heads and ACE Prime Enter Distribution Agreement, Announce BULB Program (Update)

Crowned Heads has entered into a distribution agreement with ACE Prime Cigars, or more specifically, a “strategic alliance” that will also see a new project launched in support of local retailers as well as new Crowned Heads cigars produced at Tabacalera Pichardo.

The most immediate part of the alliance is that Crowned Heads will begin distributing the ACE Prime portfolio, which includes the Pichardo and Luciano (The Traveler) lines, as well as the M.X.S. series of cigars that have involved former NBA players Dominique Wilkins and Tiago Splitter. ACE Prime made its industry debut at the 2019 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show in July.

ACE Prime has also announced plans to release a new M.X.S. cigar with Adrián González, a former Major League Baseball player whose career included time with the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. Specific details about that cigar have not yet been announced.

The two companies will also be announcing a project called BULB that will feature a monthly subscription box that will benefit local cigar shops while delivering exclusive content, access and offers. The program is being launched to help brick-and-mortar retailers “keep the lights on” during this challenging economic time, with more details expected to be announced next week.

Additionally, Luciano Meirelles, one of the co-owners of ACE Prime, told halfwheel that there are plans to produce new Crowned Heads products at Tabacalera Pichardo, the factory that makes ACE Prime’s cigars. Crowned Heads currently produces its Juarez line at the factory, which was founded by Eradio Pichardo in 2005. It has since become part of ACE Prime, which is owned by Pichardo, Meirelles and Splitter.

The announcement was made via Cigar Aficionado, with Meirelles confirming the arrangement to halfwheel and a press release being sent by Crowned Heads on Friday morning.

A previous version of this article indicated that Tabacalera Pichardo was owned solely by Eradio Pichardo; while it was founded by him, it has since become part of ACE Prime and is now jointly owned by Pichard, Merirelles and Splitter.

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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.