Jon Carney Joins Bentley Tobacco | USA

Jon Carney, the longtime vp of sales for La Flor Dominicana, will now lead Bentley Tobacco | USA, the new American division of Bentley Tobacco, a German company.

Bentley Tobacco, which has no relationship to the car brand, is led by Martin Schuster. He is the son of Phillip Schuster, who runs August Schuster GmbH & Co. KG. Based in Bünde, the Schuster family has been involved in tobacco for more than 100 years and over the years have served as Germany distributors for a number of American companies including CLE, Drew Estate, La Flor Dominicana and RoMa Craft Tobac.

Carney spent more than a decade as the vp of sales for La Flor Dominicana, a tenure that ended last month.

Bentley Tobacco’s portfolio includes premium cigars made in Nicaragua, little cigars and pipe tobacco. The brand does not have a presence in the U.S., something that Carney is tasked with establishing.

“We are delighted to have found the perfect distribution partner for our Bentley products in Jonathan Carney,” said Martin Schuster in a press release. “With his many years of executive-level experience, leadership, and enthusiasm for premium cigars, we couldn’t have found a better partner to finally offer our products to American aficionados.”

“We are thrilled to form the Bentley Tobacco | USA group and introduce the Bentley Tobacco brands to the American market,” said Carney. “This partnership is a perfect alignment of our values and vision. Together, we share a deep passion for quality and a profound respect for our customers’ sophisticated tastes and expectations from their brand partners.”

Carney does not have a formal title, though will be tasked with managing the U.S. operations. In addition to his role with Bentley, Carney is also transforming The Purveyors, a project he started during his time at La Flor, into a cigar industry-focused marketing agency.