RoMa Craft Tobac Announces Price Increase

Citing increases in tobacco, labor and regulatory costs, RoMa Craft Tobac has announced a price increase on several of its most popular lines that will go into effect on July 22.

Pricing on the company’s Intemperance EC XVIII, Intemperance BA XXI, CroMagnon and CroMagnon Aquitaine core lines as well as the Limited Edition/Seasonal sizes under these front marks will get an increase of between 3 and 8 percent, while the Neanderthal line will remain unchanged. Prices for the company’s retailers in the European Union will also remain unchanged.

RoMa Craft Tobac said that it has been anticipating the change since early in 2016 and delayed implementing it as long as it could in an attempt to help retailers get through the traditionally slower season of cigar sales. It’s the first increase the company has taken since April 2014 and only the second in company history.

In an effort to mitigate the increase and reduce the consumption of native hardwoods in Nicaragua, the company is increasing the availability of bundles and display refills, while maintaining existing pricing on these products. They hope that preserving this price incentivizes retailers to refill boxes and displays rather than ordering additional boxes unnecessarily.

“We strongly believe that, despite the increases, our cigars remain among the most competitively priced, highest value small-production brands in the market,” the company stated in the announcement. “We leverage our vertically integrated model to realize cost efficiencies and we translate those into higher quality, better price for you, the retailers, and consumer. This value innovation approach was front of mind when we launched RoMa Craft Tobac in 2012 and remains unchanged.”

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.