Patoro Takes Back U.S. Distribution, Adds UPS Cigars Direct Shipping

Patoro will no longer be distributed by CLE.

The Swiss company announced that the distribution agreement with CLE had ended after over four years.

“We are grateful to the CLE Cigar team, Tom Lazuka, and Christian for all of their help in introducing our brand to you,” said Dr. Pablo Richards, the company’s co-owner, in a press release. “We are very happy with our progress in the U.S. since bringing Andrew Brennan to our team, and taking ownership of our own distribution is the next step in continuing our successful progress.”

Patoro will now ship cigars to retailers directly from the Dominican Republic using the UPS Cigars Direct Program.

De Los Reyes, the factory which produces the company’s cigars, has spearheaded the UPS Cigars Direct program which allows companies to ship products directly from the Dominican Republic to U.S. stores, including the ability to clear customs and pay taxes.

Debonaire, MLB Ventures, Matilde and Quesada are also using the UPS Cigars Direct program.

Andrew Brennan will continue to be the director of U.S. operations for the brand. The company says that CLE will continue to handle some back-office operations for the time being, but its sales representatives are no longer selling Patoro.