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Tag: Premium Cigar Association

  • PCA Acquires The Cigar Academy

    PCA Acquires The Cigar Academy

    The Premium Cigar Association announced that it has acquired The Cigar Academy from Oliva Cigars, positioning the platform as the industry’s central education and certification hub for premium cigars. Created to preserve artisanal knowledge and heritage, the Academy will now operate as a PCA-controlled unit, offering scalable global training for retailers, manufacturers, duty-free, and hospitality partners, with a growing base of certified professionals.

    PCA CEO Joshua Habursky said the move expands the association’s role beyond advocacy into professional development, while Oliva CEO Cory Bappert welcomed the transition as a natural next step for the program’s growth. Planned expansions include a retailer-focused curriculum, in-person training at farms and factories in the U.S. and major producing countries, and an online Luxury Hospitality Executive Education Program in collaboration with Florida International University.

  • PCA Announces Cigar Business Program in Nicaragua

    PCA Announces Cigar Business Program in Nicaragua

    The Premium Cigar Association, in partnership with Keiser University Latin American Campus and the Cámara Nicaragüense de Tabacaleros, launched a certified executive education program, “The Business of Premium Cigars: Strategy, Operations, Branding, and Experiences That Build Legacy,” aimed at strengthening leadership and strategic knowledge in the global premium cigar industry. Introduced at a luncheon in Estelí, Nicaragua, the program will feature instruction from renowned cigar makers, founders, and industry leaders over four full-day sessions in June 2026, totaling 32 hours of in-person training at Keiser University’s Managua campus.

    Designed for owners, executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and cigar enthusiasts, the curriculum covers strategy, operations, branding, finance, and international trade, providing participants with hands-on insights into building, positioning, and growing premium cigar enterprises while preserving the industry’s heritage and global legacy.

  • PCA and ProCigar Partner

    PCA and ProCigar Partner

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) and ProCigar announced a partnership agreement aimed at strengthening global collaboration within the premium cigar industry. The alliance will focus on supporting retailers, promoting premium cigar culture, expanding education initiatives across the supply chain, and enhancing international industry engagement between the U.S., the Dominican Republic, and other markets. As part of the partnership, ProCigar will return to exhibit at the PCA Trade Show, while a PCA delegation will attend the ProCigar Festival, reflecting efforts to deepen industry ties and jointly support promotional and educational programs.

  • PCA and Partners With Honduran Cigar Festival

    PCA and Partners With Honduran Cigar Festival

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) announced a partnership with Honduras’ Festival del Puro y el Café, an annual event in Danlí, El Paraíso, a key hub for Honduran tobacco production. The agreement aims to expand international collaboration, increase visibility for PCA members and festival stakeholders, and strengthen engagement between retailers, manufacturers, and enthusiasts. The festival, launched in 2021, celebrates Honduras’ premium cigar and specialty coffee industries and has quickly grown into a major industry event.

    Under the partnership, PCA will support festival branding and member awareness, while festival organizers will provide registration opportunities for PCA staff. PCA CEO Joshua Habursky said the agreement expands the association’s international partnerships following similar collaborations in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, reflecting Honduras’ growing influence in the global premium cigar sector.

  • PCA Announces New Board

    PCA Announces New Board

    The Premium Cigar Association announced the results of its latest Board of Directors election, with Brandon Hayes of Renegade Cigars in Dallas, Paul Copeland of Shore Thing Cigars (Florida and Alabama), and Michael Frey of the CigarBox in Las Vegas, elected to new three-year terms. Teresa Wessling of Georgetown (D.C.) Tobacco and Christian Eiroa of C.L.E. Cigars were re-elected to additional terms. The newly elected directors will be formally approved by the association’s membership on April 16 at the PCA 2026 trade show in New Orleans.

    PCA leadership said the association recorded its strongest membership, attendance, and revenue growth in a decade in 2025 and noted increased participation in this year’s board election.

  • PCA’s Tips for Posting Industry-Related Material on Social Media

    PCA’s Tips for Posting Industry-Related Material on Social Media

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) published an article focused on posting tobacco-related content on social media, saying Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) has intensified enforcement around content linked to regulated industries, increasingly limiting the reach and visibility of posts even when they do not clearly violate written policies. Much of this tightening, the article says, is driven by automated and AI-based moderation systems and evolving internal standards, resulting in reduced feed placement, recommendation blocks, or suppressed exposure without clear warnings. While this creates challenges, accounts are still able to post if they adapt their approach to align with Meta’s enforcement environment.

    The PCA advised shifting away from direct product promotion toward lifestyle, educational, and community-focused content, while avoiding explicit sales language, pricing, or calls to purchase. Using neutral captions, lifestyle imagery, and modest hashtags can help reduce enforcement risk, though inconsistencies remain common. Given the unpredictability of social platforms, businesses are also encouraged to diversify communication by strengthening owned channels such as websites, email newsletters, SMS lists, and in-store engagement, with storytelling and education proving most effective for sustaining audience connection.

  • PCA26 Registration Opens

    PCA26 Registration Opens

    The Premium Cigar Association announced that registration is open for its trade show, taking place April 17–20 in New Orleans. Open exclusively to current 2026 PCA members, the event will bring together manufacturers, retailers, and industry partners for four days of business, education, networking, and advocacy, with opportunities to discover new products, strengthen industry relationships, and take part in PCA’s highly anticipated return to one of its most popular host cities. Full details are available at pcashow.org.

  • PCA Pushes Back on California “Unflavored Tobacco List”

    PCA Pushes Back on California “Unflavored Tobacco List”

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA), joined by the Boutique Cigar Association and the newly formed California Premium Cigar Association, has filed comments opposing emergency regulations from the California Attorney General’s Office that would create an “unflavored tobacco list” following the state’s flavored tobacco ban.

    The PCA criticized the emergency designation as unjustified, arguing that premium handmade cigars do not pose youth access or public health risks comparable to other tobacco products. The group also raised concerns over the high costs, vague definitions, and extensive documentation requirements the rules would impose, potentially forcing small businesses and specialty cigar shops out of the market.

    “These regulations and fees are a needless and costly burden to our manufacturer and retail partners, that will have no affect on youth access, protection of public health, or enforcement of the existing flavor tobacco ban,” said Glynn Loope, PCA’s Director of State Advocacy, warning the policy sets a “horrible national precedent.”

    California retailers echoed those concerns, warning the rules could reduce brand availability, eliminate limited editions, and shrink consumer choice. PCA said it will continue monitoring the regulatory process and work with allies on next steps.

    You can view PCA’s filed comment on California’s Proposed Unflavored Tobacco List Emergency Regulations by clicking here.

  • PCA and Cigar Academy Partner in Education

    PCA and Cigar Academy Partner in Education

    Photo: PCA/CA

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) and The Cigar Academy announced a strategic partnership to offer comprehensive educational programs and certifications for cigar industry professionals and enthusiasts. This collaboration gives PCA members a new way to learn about the cigar industry and its processes through online modules and in-person workshops.

    The Cigar Academy’s educational program has been designed and endorsed by cigar makers and professionals from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico.

    “We firmly believe in the power of education to protect and grow the cigar industry. This partnership with The Cigar Academy will bring immense value to our retail members and our newly formed alliance,” said PCA CEO Joshua Habursky in a statement. “This partnership is part of a slate of new programs and partnerships where the association works with existing stakeholders rather than reinventing the wheel.”

    Founded by Ricardo Carioni and Thomas Gryson, The Cigar Academy is committed to delivering accessible and rigorous cigar education. “For all cigar lovers seeking authentic knowledge about the cultural heritage and artisanal traditions of the cigar world, The Cigar Academy is the ultimate source,” said Carioni. “Shared and accessible knowledge is power. Through this partnership, we aim to provide education for everyone—from cigar and nontobacco businesses to policymakers and aficionados—while ensuring that the true cigar culture is preserved and protected from misguided regulations.”

    “Our mission is to offer everyone direct access to knowledge and expertise through courses crafted together with those who run factories and farms of renowned cigar companies, done with precision and care,” said Gryson. “We are honored to have the endorsement of legendary cigar makers, and our goal is to lead individuals toward formal certification through their knowledge and guidance.”

  • Shannon Marie to Direct PCA Events

    Shannon Marie to Direct PCA Events

    Image: jirsak

    The U.S. Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has hired Shannon Marie as its new director of trade show and events.

    Marie’s first day with the PCA was July 15, 2024. With more than a decade of experience in the events industry, she has spent her professional career helping trade associations grow their event offerings. Marie will work with Lisa Cox, the organization’s senior director of trade shows and events, effective immediately.

    “I am excited to see the PCA’s team expand in a critical area so that we can provide additional program offerings for the trade show and events. I know that Shannon will be able to support Lisa in maintaining a best-in-class trade show and add other experiential elements to our marquee event and beyond,” said PCA Executive Director Joshua Habursky in a statement.

    Before joining the PCA, Marie held positions within the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU), including event producer (2015-2017), associate director of events (2017-2019), senior associate director of events (2019-2022), and director of events (2022-2023).

    In addition to managing and directing NAFCU’s conferences and events, Marie built relationships with vendors essential to the organization’s events, helped organize the budget, and dealt with contract needs and other tasks. From 2023-2024, Marie worked as a consultant with the PCA. She assisted in the logistics, contracts and planning of the annual trade show.