Dan Carr, president of General Cigar remarks, “Sherwin is one of those people you meet in life and never forget. He has a great sense of humor and always makes people feel at ease. Because of this, he made great contributions to General Cigar, particularly in developing relationships with our trade partners and in acting as a mentor to people in all areas of the business. While we will all miss working with Sherwin, we consider him family and look forward to hearing about his adventures during retirement.”
Sherwin began his career in the industry in 1956, working for Brown Williamson, a cigarette company, before joining Faber, Coe and Gregg, best known for importing Cuban cigars to the U.S. After a stint in California, during which time he launched Faber’s national products division, Sherwin returned to New York in 1978 to work for Joel Sherman of Nat Sherman & Company.
In 1980, Sherwin joined Villazon & Company, maker of iconic Honduran brands such as Punch®, Hoyo de Monterrey® and Excalibur®, and was quickly promoted to vice president of sales and marketing, working with Danny Blumenthal and Frank Llaneza. When General Cigar acquired Villazon in 1996, Sherwin’s career flourished. He worked hand in hand with industry icons including Edgar Cullman, Daniel Nuñez and Benji Menendez. He ultimately concentrated on sales and trade development, an entrepreneurial position which allowed him to focus on trade relations and channel expansion.
Sherwin remembers, “When General Cigar acquired Villazon, it was a turning point in my career. Edgar Cullman was like a godfather to me and together with his son Edgar and grandson David Danziger, they developed what I feel are the best brands in the industry. They also built a tremendous foundation for today’s General Cigar Company.”
Sherwin feels he’s leaving the company at the right time. “I have complete confidence in Dan Carr. He’s a terrific guy, and I know he’s going to keep moving the business forward to even bigger and better things. He has also developed a really talented management team, along with great people in the factories, and in sales and marketing. I’m retiring knowing that the company will continue to be the best in the business.”
When asked what advice he would give to someone who wants to enter the cigar business, Sherwin simply answers, “Get a job with General Cigar.”
* * *
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
Show all Gary Korb's Articles
Reading Time: 2 minutes West Tampa Tobacco Co. has introduced a new color to its core line of cigars—Red. The full-bodied, Nicaraguan-forward blend joins West Tampa White and West Tampa Black in order to offer “something for everyone.” Read all about it here.
Reading Time: 2 minutes In a first for VegaFina Cigars, they are releasing the VegaFina Classic Year of the Rabbit 2023. Rolled to elegant 6”x50 Torpedoes, they are presented in festive red boxes and rolled with tobaccos from three nations. For the full story, read here.
Reading Time: 2 minutes The mysteries of Love are explored further in the Romeo y Julieta Envy cigar, a limited edition one-off expected to ship in December. Masterfully handcrafted by the Plasencia family, the medium-bodied Nicaraguan puro also wears an “evil eye.” Learn why, and more, here.
Reading Time: < 1 minute Aging Room Small Batch Quattro F55 Espressivo: a spicy-full Dominican that’s box-pressed in a rare Sumatra wrapper, and is “curiously complex.” See what else you NEED to know about this cigar – click & read our quick Aging Room cigar review now…
