As Copa Style Magazine's "Lifestyle Correspondent, Tru Black will be reporting on interesting nightlife in the Washington, DC Metro Area.

Tru Black

"The Stogie Aficionado"

By Tru Black

A cheerful hello greets me, as I sit down with a Maryland native in a quiet café.

After all the formalities and pleasantries are exchanged, I pull out my tape recorder and prep him on being relaxed and speaking openly about his business and life.

My first question is always ”Tell me your cigar story”. A wicked smile flashes at me, as Eugene Mattison: self proclaimed Stogie Aficionado begins talking about his passion and love affair with his new adventure in owning a cigar lifestyle business.

As he proudly hands me his product, Eugene begins to beam and explains how he found his way into his passion with a rhetorical question, he asks, “ have you ever discovered your happiness by jumping in to the adventure of the unknown?” he answers is own question, as he quietly states ‘“it sounds scary- but I did”.

The Stogie Co. (pronounced The Stogie Company) became the vision of Eugene Mattison. It started with a simple ah ha moment, as he was exposed inadvertently to cigar business and the lifestyle. The cigar culture came to Eugene as he was sought out by the industry to help with the printing needs at his already successful printing company- Beyond Ink.  The lifestyle peeked his interest, and he wanted to learn more about this culture, and experience it for himself. In this first exposure he found opportunity to make a mark his own way, American style.

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As my recorder captures the conversation between us, Eugene begins to describe his cigars like a woman, fiery, taught skinned, tasteful, and elegant. He pulls out examples of his line – holds it lovingly with admiration and pride, and I believe the feeling is mutual, because the cigar community and industry is showing a lot of love in return.

Eugene Mattison

2 years later, Eugene Mattison has created a boutique line, hand made in the traditional Cuban way. He emphatically speaks about his cigars, as he talks about his cigar blends and other interesting facts, he explains that’s his line all quality controls by master blenders at the THECA factory in Estelí Nicaragua. He continues to give me his reasons why he wanted to work with THECA. THECA is renowned for their understanding of quality over quantity, as the founders were former fine cigar tobacco growers, and started the THECA factory in Estelí, which is noted as once refuge for Cuban cigar makers who fled the communist regime of Fidel Castro. THECA has a family tradition that goes back from the 1900’s in cigar production.

Eugene expresses himself humbly, as he talks about continuing to expand The Stogie Co. with new blends, and products, but he’s mostly excited to be doing more hands on work with the craft masters from THECA.

Eugene does voice candidly on the struggles in trying to carve out his own mark in a business that is primarily foreign to most. He found himself having to expand his knowledge base and respect for a growing industry that is historically non- American. He learned many hard lessons in the making of his cigars, but he decided he was going to infiltrate this business and put his all into the grind, he pushed forward, withstanding the naysayers and achieved the near impossible into a thriving business.

Currently, he is expanding his luxury mobile cigar tents to meet the needs of his customer base, hiring new employees and developing a training program for his company, he plans to expand throughout the country, carrying exclusively only his line of cigars, couture clothing, and accessories as he introduces the experience of cigar culture.

As I began to wrap up our interview, Eugene becomes quiet, seemly in reflective thought; he begins to openly confess, he believes his success is due in part to his enterprising spirit he developed early. Since his youth, he was prepared with the lessons his encouraging father will give to him about building his own. That fatherly advice, along with family support, and the Patronage of the Masonic Community gave him the faith to discover the joy in the adventure of the unknown. He also believes it also derived from someone giving him a chance to work his passion into a viable business. In return for his many blessings, he wants to pay it forward. His true goal is to help others in the pursuit of owning their own company, and that true success is not just in what’s in the bank, but is sincerely measured in the helping of others see their dream through. Eugene Mattison and The Stogie Co. will surly be one Company to look out for, as I have found my favorite cigar from The Stogie Co.  I am sure you’ll find yours. For more information on his line of Cigars and lifestyle accessories or the Mobile lounge tent check out The Stogie Co. 
www.TheStogieCo.com.

~Copa