Most venues stay out of cigars because the first move is too risky. We removed the risk. You bring the floor and the customer - we bring everything else, and we own the dead-inventory exposure.
Venues That Added Cigars With MDC - From Zero Cigar Experience to Full Program
Washington, DC 
Cigar Shop · Knoxville, TN 
Cigar Lounge · Springboro, OH 
Hotel · Denver, CO 
Greenwood Village, CO 
Hotels & Resorts 
Casino & Resort Group 
Nationwide Properties 
Cigar Lounge · Manhattan, NY 
Shelbyville, IN 
Historic Resort 
Casino · Indiana 
Bethlehem, PA 
Golf Course · Thornton, CO 
Carrabelle, FL 
Crofton, MD 
Indiana 
Destin, FL 
Rancho Mirage, CA 
Hobbs, NM Washington, DC Cigar Shop · Knoxville, TN Cigar Lounge · Springboro, OH Hotel · Denver, CO Greenwood Village, CO Hotels & Resorts Casino & Resort Group Nationwide Properties Cigar Lounge · Manhattan, NY Shelbyville, IN Historic Resort Casino · Indiana Bethlehem, PA Golf Course · Thornton, CO Carrabelle, FL Crofton, MD Indiana Destin, FL Rancho Mirage, CA Hobbs, NM And hundreds of independent retailers, casinos, restaurants & clubs nationwide.
You're not. Most venues that do cigars well didn't start in cigars - they added the program after year 3, year 5, year 10. The category doesn't care how long you've been open. It cares whether you do it right.
The whiskey customer who also smokes cigars will drive past your bar for one that stocks Padrón. Losing one regular to a cigar menu down the block is a 5-figure annual revenue loss you can't recover by discounting drinks.
Every catalog distributor makes you hold the shelf-risk. The numbers look scary: $3-8K in starter inventory, no way to return what doesn't sell, no training, no menu. That's why you backed away. It's also exactly what we fix.
They don't. Your staff doesn't need to be cigar experts. They need to be able to recommend 3-5 SKUs based on a 15-minute training session, cut and light correctly, and upsell by spirit pairing. That's it. We teach the rest.
Every single one of these is a solvable problem. And every single one of them is what the MDC starter program is built to solve.
Cigars are one of the highest-margin categories in hospitality and retail - and one of the most chronically under-stocked. The venues that add cigars well see them become a top-5 margin line inside a year. The venues that don't, keep watching that revenue walk past the door.
Most venues imagine cigars as a complicated, specialty-knowledge category that requires a dedicated cigar room and a trained cigar host. It doesn't. What it actually requires:
“The only reason most venues don't sell cigars is because they've been pitched cigars the wrong way - as a catalog purchase instead of a program. Fix that framing and the economics unlock instantly.”
Not a product. A program. Every starter account - regardless of venue type - gets the same 7-part operational stack.
Not a catalog dump. We build a $2,500–$5,000 starter mix (depending on your venue type) of the right 30-45 SKUs for your floor. For hospitality: flagship premium. For retail: walk-in + destination balance. For clubs: membership tiers. No guesswork.
Not sure whether to buy, lease, or build? We walk you through the humidor decision for your specific space and volume. If you buy through our network, we handle sourcing too.
Video curriculum + live Q&A session. Covers: cut/light, origin basics, recommending by flavor, whiskey and cognac pairings, upsell framing. Most teams are cigar-competent in 90 minutes.
Designed to educate and upsell. Tier structure, pairings, pricing framework. Menu design is the #1 lever for growing sales 40-70% in first-time cigar venues.
If a SKU doesn't sell through at your projected pace, we swap it. This is what makes adding cigars safe for a venue that's never done it before. Most of our starter-program clients use the exchange in month 2-3, and the mix settles by month 4.
We don't ship and disappear. At 30, 60, and 90 days, we review what's selling, what isn't, what to swap, and what to re-order. This is what turns a starter program into a real revenue line.
You text, email, or call the MDC team directly. No support ticket system. No account manager you've never met. Your first-year questions get answered the same day.
Total starter program value: $9,200+
Included in every MDC starter account · No setup fee · No contract · Just wholesale pricing on the inventory itself
See If You QualifyZero Inventory Risk
MDC Promise
Since 2012
This is the entire reason the starter program works for venues that have never sold a cigar. The no-risk exchange means the opening inventory we ship you is NOT a committed purchase - if it doesn't move at your projected pace in the first 90 days, we rotate it out and rebuild the mix around what IS working. No restocking fee. No argument. No 'final sale.' Most starter-program clients use the exchange in month 2-3 as their floor calibrates, and the mix settles by month 4. You're never stuck holding boxes that don't turn.
Plug in your venue type and current cigar revenue. We'll show what the typical MDC program rebuild lifts it to inside 6 months.
Wholesale-cost basis. We'll project your retail-revenue lift from there.
Zero-base starters typically hit $10K–$15K/month by month 6 - depending on venue volume and clientele. Projection below shows the realistic band.
Projections reflect typical ranges across MDC program rebuilds. Your floor's economics vary - the discovery call is where we tell you straight.
Eight milestones. Four to six months. One growing revenue line.
15 minutes. We look at your venue, customer profile, and amenities. Honest read on fit.
Starter inventory mix, pricing, menu design, humidor guidance, training plan.
Humidor stocked. Staff training delivered (Zoom or on-site). Menu printed.
You're open for cigar service. Tracking begins. Program goes live.
What moved, what didn't. Usually one or two SKUs get adjusted.
First exchange cycle if needed. Mix rebalances. Training refreshed.
Most starter programs hit breakeven. Strongest venues at $6–8K/month.
Typical time to hit the $10K+/month target for venues with the right customer base.
Some venues move faster. Some slower. The variance is driven by venue size, customer demographic, and marketing aggression - all of which we coach through at the 30 / 60 / 90 review calls.
Book a 15-minute discovery call. We'll look at your venue, your customer, and your existing amenities, and tell you straight whether a starter cigar program can help your business - including the realistic revenue target for your specific floor. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so on the call.
Every month you don't stock cigars is a month of $8-15K in high-margin revenue walking to the venue down the block that does. Compounded, that's a six-figure annual mistake for most hospitality venues - and most never notice it's happening.
P.S. If cigars turn out to be the wrong category for your floor, we'll tell you on the call - and we'll point you at a better use of that shelf space. That honesty is the reason most of our starter accounts are still with us 5+ years in.
MDC Affiliate Program
The MDC affiliate program pays you 10% in store credit (or 5% cash) on every order from every business you refer, for their entire first year.
