IPCPR 2018: Quality Importers

While Quality Importers has a number of products that merit checking out the booth on its own, it has most recently seemed to draw attention for the companies it had acquired in the previous year, a list that includes Palio, Shuriken, Cigar Mechanic, Get-A-Grip Clip and others. This year, the big news was that Quality Importers had acquired XIKAR in January, though the two aren’t sharing a booth this year, which is why you’ll see a separate post for all of the new XIKAR products.

There was a handful of new products on display inside the booth this year, but the real story was customization. The company has brought on Fabian Barrantes as part of the creative team and as we walked around the booth,  he was visibly excited about the capabilities the company has to deliver customized products to retailers, brands and the cigar industry as a whole. He mentioned that the company has a UV printer on site that can crank out dozens of customized products per hour, as well as an in-house design team that can assist clients with getting the finished product looking perfect.

Ash Wood Humidor

One of the new humidor designs this year, it’s a solid 125-count lockable humidor with a distinctive wood grain design and silver button accents, as well as an analog hygrometer on the front of the unit.

• MSRP: $310
• Production: Regular production
• Launch Date: Fall 2018

Cigar Caddy – New Tactical-Inspired Designs

For humidors designed to go with you, the company is adding four new tactical-inspired two-tone color combinations to its 15-count Cigar Caddy line. There is black and army green, navy blue and white, desert tan and black, and grey and white, each of which retail for $35.90 and are backed by a lifetime guarantee. While the inspiration for these new cases  is tactical, that doesn’t mean it’s limited to camouflage, as the company is also offering the opportunity for retailers and brands to create customized versions as well, and showed off some examples of what those designs could look like.

• MSRP: $35.90
• Production: Regular production
• Launch Date: October 2018

Humidor Supreme – New Designs

The company is expanding its Humidor Supreme collection with six new designs, four of which pay tribute to law enforcement officers, firefighters and military, while the other two include a 100-count humidor featuring a music-themed design and a 25-count black marble design, the final of the above pictures. Like the rest of the line, each is completely lined with kiln-dried Spanish cedar and feature the company’s SureSeal™ technology.

• MSRP: $159.99 (100-count), $99.99 (25-count)
• Production: Regular production
• Launch Date: October 2018

Palio Lighter

That’s right, there will finally be a Palio lighter, and it will serve as one of the core products for the company’s expanding foray into customizable, branded cigar accessories. It’s a triple flame torch lighter with a plastic body that will be available in black, white, red, navy blue or silver. While it feels good in the hand and seemed to work well in some limited usage, the biggest feature is its diamond shape design, which provides plenty of visual real estate for companies to add their own branding to it.

• MSRP: $19.99
• Production: Regular production
• Launch Date: November 2018