Vintage Rockefeller Cigar Group Sold to Kevin Schweitzer

Vintage Rockefeller Cigar Group, maker of the Rock-A-Feller brand of cigars, has a new owner, Kevin Schweitzer, president of Sea Crest Holding Group and a Wall Street trader.

“I am extremely excited taking over Vintage Rockefeller Cigar Group and I look forward to guiding a company with a solid history to a new era of success,” Schweitzer said via a press release. “Right now, my vision is to grow the brand throughout the U.S. and eventually move into shepherding the company internationally.”

He told halfwheel that he is planning on maintaining the brand’s existing portfolio of six cigars, while also preparing for a more widespread release of a blend that was released on a very limited basis in 2015. While the existing core lines are made at Tabacalera L&V S.R.L., the new line is being produced at American Caribbean Tobacco S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The company will be moving forward with at least eight lines, the three Rock-A-Feller ‘Vintage’ Nicaragua lines, the three Rock-A-Feller ‘Classic’ Dominican blends, as well as two small production lines, the  Rock-A-Feller Gold Series and the cognac-infused Billet-Doux, both of which are available as single vitola releases. The company’s cigars are priced between $7 and $16, before taxes and depending on the line.

Schweitzer is also working on building a sales team to help expand the brand both domestically and internationally, while working with a distributor out of New York.

Vintage Rockefeller Cigar Group was launched in 2009 as a collaboration between Jeffrey Uvezian, son of Avo Uvezian, and an undisclosed member of the Rockefeller family, both of whom have since moved onto other ventures.

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 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.