The Retailer
Trip.
For the lounge owner, retailer, or shop putting their own band on a cigar for the first time. Twenty perfected house blends, mild to full and simple to complex — pick the one your customers are going to love. Or design your own from the leaf up. Virtually from your shop, or onsite in Nicaragua with The Mule.
What you walk away with.
By the end of a Retailer engagement with The Mule you have a cigar that is unmistakably yours — branded with your name, dressed in your colors, and arriving in 10/20/25-count boxes that look like they belong on the shelf you've been curating for years.
- A finalized blend — chosen from twenty house recipes, or designed bench-up with our blender
- Cigar bands designed and approved with your art team or ours
- Hardwood box and dress designed and produced
- 500-cigar minimum run (and meaningful per-cigar savings on larger runs)
- FDA paperwork handled · imported direct to the warehouse you choose
- Twelve-week delivery from finalized blend (aging, not delay)
Two ways to build it.
Mode I — Virtual Build
Every step over video and email. Sample cigars shipped to your shop for tasting. Bands and packaging proofed digitally. Production updates from the floor in real time. Same finished cigar lands at your warehouse in twelve weeks. Best for retailers who can't break away — or just don't want to.
Mode II — Onsite in Nicaragua
The recommended path. Walk into the cigar factories where your run will be rolled, sit at the blending bench yourself, taste leaf at every priming, and approve every detail with The Mule on the ground. Twelve seats per trip — bring your team or share with other retailers for a meaningful discount. See the trip experience →
Retailers already on the shelf.
A few of the lounges and shops we've helped launch a private label with — alumni you can ask about The Mule directly.
- SMoKE Cigar Lounge — Konstantinos Fotiadis, Owner — Philadelphia, PA
- West Coast Cigars — Kyle McCue, Owner — San Jose, CA
- Third St Cigars — Josh Malone, Owner — Waterville, OH
- Four9 Cigars — Garland Moore, Owner — San Antonio, TX
Common questions.
What's the minimum order?
500 cigars per blend. Bigger runs get meaningful per-cigar savings.
What does it cost?
Pricing is custom per project — depends on the blend, vitola, run size, and packaging complexity. Every project starts with a free one-hour discovery call to scope it.
Can I really just pick from existing blends?
Yes — and most retailers do exactly that, at least for their first run. The twenty house blends span mild to full, simple to complex. Pick one and we put your band on it.
What about cigar bands and boxes?
Custom bands and hardwood boxes are part of every Retailer engagement — designed with your team or ours, produced through our trusted partners.
Ready to build a house cigar?
One hour by video. Tell us what your shop is and what your customers smoke. We'll figure out the rest together.
Book a Discovery Call →