In an industry of traditions, yet in constant evolution, Wood and Waters brings Eleven50 to the premium tobacco market –an innovative product that multiplies the possibilities of enjoyment and the pleasure of smoking, thanks to a small, portable accessory that is inversely proportional in utility.
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Wood and Waters was born from the friendship between Mitchell Toland and Joshua Zepeda, lifelong friends who parted ways while living in Miami. Mitchell served his country in the Army, and Joshua advanced in the tobacco industry, paving a path where they reconnected and which they now travel together.
Joshua was born in the United States, but carries tobacco DNA. Born to Honduran parents with a trace of Nicaraguan blood, at the age of 18 –invited by a friend– he joined Coco Cigars, a tobacco shop that welcomed him into this industry and is now his client.
After a couple of years’ hiatus, his next step was as a partner in a cigar shop in Hallandale Beach, where over nine years he gained the experience and contacts with which he is now venturing into a new personal endeavor.
“During those years of smoking and engaging with the market, I discovered the need for an accessory to enjoy a cigar from start to finish. I remember an Italian customer who consumed his cigars all the way down with the help of a toothpick, and I thought there might be a way to create a formal accessory based on that same idea.”
While Mitchell continued his military career, Josh began researching and learning about 3D design software, created a prototype, and sent it to a manufacturing company in California to test its functionality with a tangible sample… but it needed improvement.
The turning point came when a friend gifted him a corn on the cob holder. “With a single toothpick, the cigar spins, but with two prongs, the experience is different,” he recalls.
For two more years, with Mitchell retired from the Army, they worked together on the design, testing materials like wood and ceramic, and taking the first steps into 3D printing, which by then was an affordable product.
Thus, night after night, the team ran tests until 2023, when the first prototype left their hands to be evaluated by professionals. A year later, with an improved model, they began their production process.
On January 28, 2025, they obtained the final product, created the company Wood and Waters, and prepared everything for their presentation during the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, under a name that evokes this pair of friends’ connection to the outdoors.
Eleven50
Mitchell and Josh had an innovative and functional product in their hands, but they needed to find the right name. The search lasted a couple of nights, amidst smoke, chatter, and cigars enjoyed from start to finish.
According to Josh, during one of those nights, someone said: “I love this product because if I’m going to pay $12 for a cigar, I want to smoke at least $11.50 (Eleven50)”; a moment that not only marked the end of the search for a name but was the birth of the slogan and the concept with which they are now conquering the market for smoker accessories.
“The strength is that it becomes an indispensable accessory. For us, it’s already strange to smoke without using it and being able to enjoy the cigar until the end.”
Innovation
Eleven50 is not just a cigar pick to enjoy your cigar down to the nub, like many other elegant accessories that exist. It also includes a magnet, an idea that again arose from the adventurous essence of its creators.
“Since childhood, we were always mischievous and lived our lives outdoors, fishing, hunting, playing golf, or participating in car races; always with our hands busy or covered in grease. Almost everything we touch in our activities has metal; I put my Eleven50 on the tank of my Harley and ride the road.”
Thus, thinking about their own needs –which are those of many modern aficionados– it was easy for them to innovate in this respect. “We made it for ourselves, and it turned out to be useful for others.”
As a consumer, Josh knew it was an unusual accessory, considering the tradition within the industry, but he also relied on the generational change the market is experiencing, with more people accepting new things and the conjunction of different activities with tobacco.
“There will always be those who prefer one thing or another, but the market is expanding and opening opportunities for cigars with origins beyond Cuba, for different ages and social strata, and the future of the industry is with the youth,” he states, although to his surprise, older people use it too.
Expanding Market
The debut of the Eleven50 was at The Great Smoke, where it was a success. This motivated them to take it to the PCA Trade Show in New Orleans, and as a result, Wood and Waters is already in 24 different stores and 40 points of sale.
In the future, Mitchell and Josh seek to add three or four more products to the Wood and Waters catalog, aiming to achieve momentum in a couple of years to dedicate themselves to their company exclusively.
Social media has also opened access to the industry and its audience. “If you put enough line in the water, something will bite,” and that’s what they did, sparking interest in Europe, as well as in some large brands to incorporate Eleven50 into their promotional items.
The company is sustained under a 100% family scheme, in which Josh, his wife, and their daughters, aged 8 and 4, hold “packing parties” to label, bag, and prepare each box sent to the stores, while Mitchell contributes his military experience and discipline to bring order to operations and contribute to the growth strategy.
“I have made the best friends in this industry: I met my wife, I paid for my house with tobacco dollars, and the goal is to leave something behind for my daughters, for Mitchell’s family, and continue strengthening relationships through tobacco. Some of our future goals include collaborating with a charity that supports veterans’ causes, as well as organizations dedicated to environmental issues.”
We are talking about two lifelong friends who separated as they grew up and reconnected a couple of years ago, united by tobacco leaves and the creation of an accessory inspired by their own experiences. They seek to share a bit of their hobbies and tastes with a community that is characterized precisely by cohesion and a desire to collaborate in unity.
“We don’t pretend to become millionaires. We actually did it for ourselves, and although it is indeed a business now, it remains something personal that the market has enjoyed.”
