Kretek International’s premium cigar division, Ventura Cigar Co., will take over the distribution of Island Lifestyle Importers and its Tommy Bahama cigar accessories.

The companies made the announcement ahead of next month’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.

“We feel this is the perfect alignment of strengths,” said Rick Louis, ceo of Island Lifestyle Importers, in a press release. “We design and manufacture exceptionally high-quality products that encourage the relaxing enjoyment of the finer things in life, while Ventura and Phillips & King bring decades of experience and strong relationships within the tobacconist community. Together we believe this will establish Tommy Bahama & Island Lifestyle as one of the preeminent lifestyle brands within the cigar industry.”

Island Lifestyle Importers includes a line of cigars under its Island Lifestyle Aged Reserve brand. It is also the license holder for Tommy Bahama cigar accessories.

“We’re really excited to work with Island Lifestyle Importers,” said Michael Giannini, gm of Ventura Cigar Co. “Tommy Bahama and Island Lifestyle are well-known brands that jive well with Ventura Cigar’s Southern California lifestyle. We’ve long-admired their attention to detail and the top-notch cigars and accessories they’ve been crafting. We’re pleased to be their partners and look forward to successfully growing their presence in the cigar industry.”

Ventura Cigar Co. is part of Kretek International, whose profile includes Phillips & King, the Tobacco Plus Expo, Tobacco Media Group and a variety of brands.

Island Lifestyle will have its products on display in its own booth, as well as the Phillips & King booth, at IPCPR 2018.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2018 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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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.