From a soccer field to tobacco farms, the friendship between Corey Sneed and Edwin Debiew was built on a mixture of cherished values and tobacco leaves produced in Mexico, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
The blends of this brand evoke memories of youthful flavors and aromas, Caribbean culture, and the efforts of factory workers and over 300 people involved in creating a product entirely handmade.
With five house blends and seven signature premium blends, Friend’s Cigars aims to establish itself in the US and global markets, aiming to create and strengthen friendships, just as they have done over time, conversation by conversation and puff by puff.
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The Beginning of a Friendship
Almost 20 years ago, Corey Sneed and Edwin Debiew led very different lives, where tobacco played a social and personal enjoyment role. Their friendship started through their daughters, who became friends and brought them together on a soccer field, leading to conversations and sharing.
Corey, a Texan engineer with 30 years of experience in the materials and scientific equipment industry, spent much of his life installing technological equipment for analyzing various types of samples, biological and geological among them.
His work often involved technical support for companies around the world, exposing him to smoking and sharing cigars of various brands with people from diverse cultures. These experiences introduced him to cigars as a subject of study and learning, while experiencing social interaction.
Corey’s passion for cigars began with his grandfather, a Baptist minister who used to smoke them. The scent of tobacco became a powerful childhood memory, later joined by his first Cohiba cigar, a fabulous experience filled with captivating aromas and flavors he sought to recreate when founding his own brand.
Meanwhile, Edwin was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and now resides in DeSoto, Texas, after retiring following a career with the US government.
In retirement, Edwin finds it essential to keep his mind and body active, turning to golf and developing a taste for cigars: “Part of the game is conversation, smoking cigars, and enjoying spirits,” he says.
Their daughters’ friendship naturally brought Corey and Edwin together. Over time, they bonded over school gatherings, birthday parties, and shared reflections on life and business advice, particularly their shared love for tobacco.
Throughout the years, integrity and brotherhood have formed the foundation of their enduring relationship, which has now also become a business partnership. In the cigar business, consistency is key: “Throughout all this time, we’ve remained the same people who met on the soccer field. If anything has changed, it’s that we’ve helped each other grow to become better individuals,” Corey affirms.
The Challenge
Under the motto “There is a sense of unity when smoking quality cigars with friends”, smoking cigars in their backyard or at a Cigar Lounge with friends such as Rod-Liv, Al, Stan, Efrem, Thomas, Ryan and Tiger, became a regular activity for Corey and Edwin in DeSoto, Texas. Any place was ideal for sharing the good smokes, which led them to meet a guy who had experience in the tobacco industry and its outcomes.
Edwin explains that their interactions with him sparked curiosity about learning more about the tobacco industry and the origins of the cigars they enjoyed. “He presented an outlook on the industry, a challenge worth facing.”
After that conversation, Corey and Edwin decided to give it a try. Within 24 hours, they agreed to embark on this adventure. They obtained the necessary licenses and began their journey to establish a tobacco business in the United States, guided by Roman Kinder, Carlos Fernández Alcántara, and others in Villa González, Santiago Province, Dominican Republic.
Their journey began with visits to M. J. Frías Cigar Co. and Continental Cigars Factory, where they received guidance in every aspect of cigar production.
Their initial exposure to the industry fascinated them with its rich history and culture, involving extensive knowledge about tobacco leaf cultivation, harvesting, curing, aging, and classification into wrapper, binder, seco, viso, ligero, and volado, originating from countries like Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
The Tortoise and the Hare
For Corey and Edwin, their foray into the tobacco industry resembles the fable of The Tortoise and the Hare, where they are like the tortoise, steadily advancing on the path to success through thoughtful, methodical, and strategic decisions as a team, aiming to offer customers the best smoking experiences.
They believe that “success” holds different meanings for everyone. While some quantify it with money or possessions, at Friend’s Cigars, it’s measured by the growth of friendships, enjoyable moments, and conversations that attract more people to their circle. They aim for their company to spread and become known in markets as a business born from a small town.
The Brand
In 2021, alongside M. J. Frías Cigar Co., armed with enhanced knowledge of premium tobacco, the need for their own brand grew. From this desire came King Cake, a Toro cigar measuring 6 inches with a 54 ring gauge, flavored with chocolate, and a Robusto measuring 5 inches with a 50 ring gauge, flavored with vanilla. Both feature a Negro San Andrés México wrapper and Dominican and Nicaraguan binder and filler, adorned with a band in purple and yellow tones reminiscent of New Orleans and its local culture, featuring a lion, emblematic of the Debiew family.
These cigars were their initial products, marking their entry into the tobacco industry. Seeking to establish themselves as a quality brand, they later expanded into a premium line.
While King Cake catered more to Edwin’s family, tastes, and origins, the premium line was heavily influenced by Corey, drawing on his memories of his first Cohiba cigar and aiming for a blend more aligned with Cuban aromas and flavors.
- Continental Cigars Factory took on the challenge of creating four new cigars:
- Altitud: Maduro wrapper, HVA binder, and Habana, Corojo, and Criollo filler.
- Actitud: Cuban wrapper, Cuban binder, and Cuban, Dominican, and Pennsylvania filler.
- Friends 1888: Habana wrapper, Cuban binder, and Cuban, Dominican, and Pennsylvania filler.
- Habana Anniversary Toro: Habano Ecuador wrapper, Olor Dominicano binder, and Cuba-Dominican and Pennsylvania filler.
Friend’s Cigars are medium to full-bodied, offering a good burn, excellent ash, and a smooth draw to deliver a quality experience to the end consumer and foster networking opportunities, making friends over a cigar made by friends.
The Goal
During their journey, Corey and Edwin had the opportunity to meet Nick Perdomo Jr., who inspired them with stories of his father’s life in Cuba during the revolution, his journey to the United States, and his mission to continue his family’s legacy. “Listening to that passion further motivated us to carve out a place in the market,” Edwin affirms.
For the partners, Friend’s Cigars is a name gaining recognition in their country, aiming for global recognition and aspiring to leave a legacy like that of major companies in the industry, each with its unique story. “We want to be recognized as two friends who started this business years ago and now appear among the most important ratings,” they detail.
Looking to the near future, Corey and Edwin consider adding new blends and formats to their catalog, exploring opportunities to launch a Box Pressed, Salomón, or Salomoncito cigar, always accompanied by educating the final consumer through discussions on pairing, tips for identifying their palate, or how to cut and light a cigar.
Ultimately, when asked how to turn a good idea into reality, their answer is straightforward: “We’re still at it, but along the way, we were fortunate to connect with great people who made it easy for us to work on achieving the blends we envisioned. Once we had the product and brought it to different lounges and events in the United States, we focused on discussing the cigars, sharing the story behind each blend, and with that information, the marketing practically took care of itself.”
Friend’s Cigars are available for purchase on their website https://friendscigars.net/ and at select tobacconists: Cu Noma and Hillside in Cedar Hill, Texas; West “Jax” and Pendulum in Fort Worth, Texas; Lakeside Liquor Store, Grand Prairie, Texas; and Legacy Cigar Lounge, West Reading, Pennsylvania.
