Interview with Andreas from Swecigars: A story about how dreams come true

The story behind Swecigars not only shows that dreams can come true but also how the cigar community is different from many others. How the social class and working class disappear in a common passion thanks to a gourmet experience in my opinion. The story behind Swecigars also has a setback that I think was an incredible shame. Hard work and passion behind the shop and a greater passion to create a cigar that would make an impression. At the time of writing, their series The Majestic collection is available, which will not be forgotten when it is no longer around.

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What is the story behind Swecigars?

The three friends were more familiar with each other once upon a time, but did not meet often. They grew up in the same area but chose completely different paths in life. Andreas became a teacher, Kristoffer an electrician and George works in logistics at a large company. They smoked cigars from time to time, but rarely together. In today’s society, you hang out with people who work in the same professional category as yourself. You often have similar or the same interests. When it comes to lighting a cigar, professional roles and ethnicities often disappear. You could say that you see human value and not social status.

“It all started as a weekend luxury and we rarely smoked together. By pure chance we met and smoked a cigar once and our friendship grew. The conversations were often about what cigars we liked, where we shopped and what we thought was good and bad. We felt a little dissatisfied with both the design and functionality of where we shopped. Kristoffer hatched the idea one day that we should start an online store. We started brainstorming on the idea and pretty quickly came up with what we wanted to do. It fell into place pretty quickly and the idea became a reality, Kristoffer opened the company and they asked if I could build the website. I, who have no knowledge in it, started researching and learning on YouTube and wherever I could find knowledge. George, who was the most avid smoker of us and had smoked the longest, knew the market best and went through a large part of the range of cigars we were going to start with. You could say that we complemented each other’s knowledge in an incredibly good way right from the start. What made it all the more challenging was that we decided to start Swecigars in the middle of the economic crisis in 2023. It was a long process that took over 6 months with all the waiting for permits and banks that were reserved given the situation in the country. But we finally got it together. The permits were there, we had built the website in a way we thought it should be and the range of cigars grew. Our passion was strong and we also wanted to make our own cigar line. We chose to name the collection The Majestic collection”

Starting a business is difficult and doing it in an economic crisis is something that many surely feel is madness. Having a strong goal that is almost manic for many, a passion that is stronger than anything else and driving force in that situation is a must. You are overturned by tougher setbacks than usual, the banks are more restrictive, people’s purchasing opportunities are less than before. It requires trust from your customers, a form of service that is at an almost unique level from the start. It was not enough challenge for the three friends, in the middle of everything there was also a driving force to make their own line of cigars that brings with it completely different challenges. Anders, Kristoffer and George did not want to have a classic cigar store, but to provide a unique and deeper knowledge to their customers. It is one thing to learn about cigars from afar and another to learn through close collaboration with factories.

The Majestic collection cigars

Their inspiration for the cigars was traditions and wanting to give the Swedish market something genuine that showed Swedish history. Their journey wasn’t just about finding a factory that could produce cigars, there are many of them, but also about finding a manufacturer with the same energy and ambitions as they had. I like to compare partnerships to marriage, you want to rejoice in each other’s successes and for it to last a lifetime. That’s when you know a partnership is right.

“We started looking for a producer and came into contact with a start-up company in Nicaragua run by a former employee of Drew Estate. He chose, just like us, to pursue his dreams. He had recently resigned from his job at Drew Estate and started rolling cigars in his grandmother’s garage. We thought he had a drive and a unique passion compared to many others we were in contact with. That’s why we chose him, partly because he stood out but also because his cigars were unique in taste and shape.”

If I were to talk about everything Andreas described about the cigars, I would probably not write an article but a whole book. Every day you learn something new and lessons were something I gained in our conversation. I won’t go into details but I really want to highlight one thing that I’m pretty sure you don’t see often in a cigar. A pigs tail is not too unique and can be found at almost every manufacturer. What is unique besides their blends is the Pigs tail at The Founding Father Gustav Vasa, it’s not the little grunt you usually see and feel, it’s more like a long string that gives a feeling of an ancient technique that should almost be in a museum.

A small part of the challenges is that you are not allowed to market or run campaigns, which makes it more difficult to get a new series of cigars out to customers, you simply have to rely on the old way of word of mouth. Unfortunately, the project was not sustainable in the end, the new track and trace law would eventually make it almost impossible and unprofitable at a start-up and the volume had not yet become large enough on the market to be sustainable for a completely new brand that has not yet been established. I really want to say unfortunately because the details of the craftsmanship were almost unique and should have their place in the humidor. I really regret that the cigars’ journey has come to an end. If you are lucky enough to have smoked the cigars, I think you should appreciate the craftsmanship because it is likely that you will not get the chance to do it again.

The Majestic collection

The founding Father – Gustav Vasa

Gustav Vasa was the reason why Sweden was liberated and became independent from Danish rule. One of the world’s longest cross-country skiing competitions was inspired by his escape from Danish soldiers through Dalarna. Gustav Vasa was elected King after the liberation from the Danish Empire. June 6, 1523, when he was crowned king, also became Sweden’s national day.

The Great era – Gustav 2 Adolf

Gustav II Adolf became king in 1611 when he was only 15 years old. During that period, Sweden was at war with Denmark, Poland and Russia. He was a strong leader and managed to make peace with all enemies. He modernized Sweden’s army and made Sweden one of the greatest military powers of the time.

I could write more about Swecigars but I feel that their journey with The Majestic collection says a loot about their passion for cigars. Taking on a challenge within a challenge to make thair dreams come true takes a lot and shows that dreams can be followed. I feel that it speaks volumes about their passion for cigars, commitment and willingness to learn and teach others.

How do you follow your dreams?

“Starting up in a niche industry in the middle of a tough economic period is both tough and has been a challenge. My best advice to anyone who wants to follow their dreams is to be persistent, as long as you believe in and fight for what you love, you will succeed. Also have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and build strong relationships. There are few industry colleagues in Sweden who are dedicated to this. Therefore, it is important that we can also collaborate and build strong relationships with each other. For me, it is important that we all see each other as industry colleagues and not as competitors. By collaborating and supporting each other, we can together strengthen the market and create something better for everyone who shares the same passion as we do. The final words will also be passion, Passion is the key. If you are truly passionate about what you do, you will find solutions even when it feels the toughest.”

Thank you very much for the opportunity to share your story. Following dreams that require capital in a tough economic period is something many might see as madness, but you succeeded and showed that with a passion, a willingness to learn and find solutions it is possible. I regret your cigar line – The Majestic collection. It was fun while it lasted, but it was an honor to hold the cigar in my hand and see the craftsmanship.