Foundation Cigar Co. is making its first hire, David Sather.

Sather, the former sales director at Drew Estate, is joining Foundation Cigar Co. as its vice-president. Foundation Cigar Co. is the new cigar company from another Drew Estate veteran, Nicholas Melillo.

“Sather and I used to speak on the phone when he was in the Drew Estate office and I worked at the Calabash Shoppe in Connecticut,” said Melillo in a press release.

“David used to call us all the time at the store. Yes, he would call for business, but then he would call just to check in, see how an event went or talk about a new cigar that had just come out on the market. He really went above and beyond the normal business side and built a relationship.”

Sather will oversee sales, marketing and distribution for the company, while Melillo will split his time between the company’s headquarters in Connecticut and Nicaragua. The company has already announced that its first line will be produced at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) in Estelí, Nicaragua.

“I am very excited to be coming on board and working with a creative tobacco genius like Nick,” said Sather. “His passion for blending is truly inspiring. I am looking forward to the opportunity, this will be fun.”

Foundation’s first release will debut at next month’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, La.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.