S Saka leaving out of DE

zeebra

Sad to see him go! LP line, I hope it stays the same!!!

From S Saka himself:
"First off - it was ABSOLUTELY on good terms - DE has been my life for the last eight years and it just came down to I could no longer have my family in NH and live here, Miami and Nicaragua all while being the CEO of a company as dynamic as Drew Estate. I was basically spending 4 or 5 nights a month with my wife, and JD/MS/MC, the whole crew understood and was very compassionate and we worked out a transition plan that was 100% equitable for all. So my take on it is two fold: it is a good thing, but I will admit I am sad to be departing as I will miss being part of the DE family."

jliu

A family man I see. Good for Saka. Saka is such a fun word to say. Sakaaaaaaaa. sakaaaaaaaa.

ShotgunJohn

This is a sad time for DE, hopefully traditional smokes will remain in the lineup and not be overcome by new infused lines

RCY_Cigars

Worried just a little. But I'm sure this was planned out. Hopefully the LP line won't change for the worse.

SleevePlz

Makes me wonder why he wouldn't just move the fam to Miami, especially if he has plans to stay in the industry. Not many cigar jobs in NH. If he is retiring, then this makes sense.

Cigary

Lots of stories about this and insiders who know best are pretty much quiet as to what the "true" story is. The story from SS is a nice one about family and stuff like that but the reality is that he is a driven person who looks to become prominent in the cigar world and DE has it's own hierarchy in place. Some men are ok with being part of the 'team' while others want to be more than a part. A 2 year hiatus is pretty much in keeping with non compete clauses in contracts and once he leaves he will get his apportioned salary package w/benes to keep him safe and warm and content...for awhile. Look for him to comeback within a time frame that sees him in a different position...two years of being able to focus with others in bringing a new product with people he knows intimately in the business to start this venture.

kuzi16

Cigary:

Lots of stories about this and insiders who know best are pretty much quiet as to what the "true" story is. The story from SS is a nice one about family and stuff like that but the reality is that he is a driven person who looks to become prominent in the cigar world and DE has it's own hierarchy in place. Some men are ok with being part of the 'team' while others want to be more than a part. A 2 year hiatus is pretty much in keeping with non compete clauses in contracts and once he leaves he will get his apportioned salary package w/benes to keep him safe and warm and content...for awhile. Look for him to comeback within a time frame that sees him in a different position...two years of being able to focus with others in bringing a new product with people he knows intimately in the business to start this venture.

not sure i agree or not, but i would not be surprised if that were the case.

the only reason i would think twice about this is because he has enough pull in DE that if he wanted his own cigar he could have it.
of course that doesnt mean that he would have it produced his way, or that he would see the profit share he wants but its still a fairly satisfying job.

the tobacco industry has a history of people never really "retiring"
they just dont blend as often.

Cigary

I understand your view and I used to be of the same mindset. I know a few producers of cigars of Boutique blends and from their viewpoint I'm pretty much mirroring what I hear and what I've seen over the years. Cigar people are a special breed of animal esp. when you have the ability and knowledge to produce product and have enough people in your Rolodex to contact for future enterprises. Cigars are like blood to these people...they live and eat and breathe cigars and when not in the action they become very anxious people. If I could make a bet in Vegas right now I'd say that SS is or has already formed a committee of people to investigate the probability of making his own mark in the Cigar World. There are a lot of Venture Capitalists out there with more money than they know what to do with and I'm sure have an itchy wallet to tempt him with his own brand. He's already a name in the business so it's not like he needs to go out there and pound the drums. DE is one of those Manufacturers that is riding the crest of a big Cigar Wave so that gives him clout and credibility...so all 3 of these things compute into what I see a future with SS name on it or part of it. Other manufacturers have done this with only 1 or 2 areas covered. It will be interesting to say the least.

zeebra

Agree Cigary. After thinking about it and the business, I would def. agree with what you said!