 
Savinelli Style Success
From Quality Pipes To Premium Cigars, This Company Is Surely One To Watch
SMOKE: Where did the Savinelli Company originate?
YSIDRON: The Savinelli Company originated in Milan, Italy in 1876. It started out as a retail shop for pipes.
SMOKE: Was it a family-run business?
YSIDRON: Yes, it was Achille Savinelli’s father who actually started it. The original Savinelli shop is still in downtown Milan, not far from the Duomo. As a matter of fact, our main offices are still in that area. Savinelli is still completely owned by the family.
SMOKE: How did the Savinelli family get into the manufacturing of pipes?
YSIDRON: They began simply selling them, and eventually the grandfather started trying to make a few pipes of his own in the back room. His son, Achille, got involved with the business and had the idea that, instead of making a few handmade ones in the back room, it was time to expand and build their own factory. That factory was built in 1948 by Achille Savinelli, and still stands today, manufacturing Savinelli pipes.
SMOKE: Did it start out as a regional business?
YSIDRON: Back then, yes, Savinelli pipes were sold only in the European market. In the late 1950s or early 1960s, they were first imported to the U.S. by a gentleman named Walter King, the pioneer who introduced Savinelli pipes to this country. He was a distributor who had traveled to Italy and seen some Savinelli pipes there. He wasn’t involved in pipes at the time, but distributed other tobacconist items. So he started importing Savinelli pipes to the U.S, and now they are sold in some 25 different countries.
SMOKE: What makes a Savinelli pipe distinct from other well-known pipe brands?
YSIDRON: One of the things that makes Savinelli pipes very distinguishable is their design. Achille, who is no longer with us, personally designed all the shapings of our pipes. They are shapes with a little more flair and a little more character to them, as opposed to the more classical and fixed shapes that were popular in Europe, which were what the English were producing at the time. That’s not to say that we do not manufacture some pipes with those classical English shapes, but with others, we try for a design that is uniquely Savinelli.
SMOKE: Are all the pipes handmade?
YSIDRON: There are approximately 70 steps to manufacturing a pipe, and “handmade” is a term that is used loosely. On every pipe in our standard shapes, the briars are turned on machines. So those pipes are frazed by machines, but after that point, everything is done by hand. There are different ways to sandblast pipes, for example. The way we do it is the only way we know how, which is through a process where actual sand is shot down at an incredibly high rate of speed. One person has to hold each individual pipe underneath this sand (with heavy gloves, of course, or his skin would come off), and if he holds it too long, the blasting of that sand will make a hole through the pipe. It requires a lot of artistry and talent. Every one of our sandblasted pipes are made that way. Many other companies instead put the pipe into a large tub with metal pellets and let the pellets hit the wood until it produces a “sandblasted” look.
SMOKE: So it’s not technically sandblasting?
YSIDRON: (Laughing) To them it is, but to us it’s not. I’m not knocking anyone, but we only know one way to do it, which, needless to say, is a lot more labor-intensive, but the results are beautiful. To further clarify what’s handmade: the briars are turned on machines, and after that point, everything is done by hand: the mouthpiece fitting; the drilling of the hole for the tenon that goes into the shank; the pumicing; the coloring. We use all natural products, like waxes, where others use sprays. We do have a line of pipes, called “autograph,” that is totally handmade.
SMOKE: With this labor-intensive process, some of your pipes are quite expensive. What is the range of prices?
YSIDRON: Our retail price range for low-end pipes is about $30. The high-end pipes run from about $200 for a sandblast model, all the way up to $900 for “smoothes” like our Triple-0 model.
SMOKE: When did Savinelli launch its pipe tobacco blends?
YSIDRON: We first tried selling pipe tobacco back in the ‘70s. A manufacturer in Germany made seven lines for us, but because they catered to a European taste, they didn’t do very well in the U.S. market. We discontinued this line about 10-15 years ago. We now produce just one line of tobacco that we started selling last year, called Armonia, which means “harmony” in Italian.
SMOKE: What is the difference between the U.S. and European taste in pipe tobacco?
YSIDRON: Generally speaking, Americans like a more flavored pipe tobacco, as opposed to the pure Cavendish or Virginia.
SMOKE: When did Savinelli decide to enter the premium cigar market?
YSIDRON: We entered the cigar market back in ‘95, but we probably could have entered back in ‘93, or even before the cigar boom. I made the decision that we would get into the cigar business only when I could control the quality of product. Having been friends with the Fuente family for a long time, I went to Carlito [Carlos Fuente Jr.] in ‘93 and told him we wanted to have our own brand. Carlito said, “That’s fine, but the boom is just starting and we’re so busy that there is no way we can do this right now. We’re at our limit in terms of manufacturing. Maybe I can refer you to other manufacturers.” I said, “Carlito, as far as I’m concerned, you make the best product out there and if I have to wait a year or two to work with you, so be it.” And that is exactly what happened. About a year and a half later, we developed the Savinelli ELR cigar. We worked with about 10 or 11 different blends that we kept trying. We finalized the blend that we wanted and came out with it in ‘95. We are still selling it to this day. ELR stands for Extremely Limited Reserve, and it’s always been a fairly small line, always made by Fuente.
SMOKE: Are you still producing the Savinelli Oro?
YSIDRON: No. We introduced the Savinelli Oro, which was made by La Aurora with a Sumatra wrapper, back in ‘96 or ‘97. For whatever reason, the market did not care for the wrapper. We decided to discontinue it after a year and a half. In between that time, however, we also developed our small cigars with La Aurora. We have a vanilla-flavored one with a Brazilian wrapper; a Maduro; and a “natural” with a Connecticut wrapper. Those are what we call the Savinelli Apéritifs. And they’re all doing very well.
SMOKE: What made you decide to release the Savinelli Nicaragua Reserve, which is a more full-bodied cigar?
YSIDRON: The U.S. market was indicating that Nicaraguan cigars had been well received. People were looking for something a little more full-bodied and with a different taste. So we went with a completely different wrapper and a completely different blend, and so far it has been very successful. It’s gotten some very good ratings, and we are currently sold out. We won’t have any more cigars for distribution on that line until the end of March.
SMOKE: Who is making that cigar?
YSIDRON: The Nicaragua Reserve is being made by Tabacalera Estelí, which has produced Cupido, among many others. They’re also producing a new line of cigars for us, which should be out by June. It will have a Cameroon wrapper, and a different, all-Nicaraguan blend.
SMOKE: You’ve also entered the accessories market in a big way. What’s your most popular item in that category?
YSIDRON: We’ve been the exclusive distributor of Corona lighters for about 28 years. The brand has been in business since 1944. It’s a highly reliable product, manufactured in Tokyo, and is very well-received. All of our repair work on them is done in-house.Some of our lighters have been out there for 15-20 years before coming back for repair!
SMOKE: Could you compare your pipe and cigar businesses? Is one healthier than the other?
YSIDRON: I consider Savinelli to be the leader in the pipe business. Right now we are not one of the leaders in the cigar business, but we hope to become one.
SMOKE: Do cigar smokers become pipe smokers, or vice-versa? Is there crossover in the market?
YSIDRON: Most definitely. There were pipe smokers when the cigar boom took off who became cigar smokers as well. When the boom ended, we started to see some of those cigar smokers become pipe smokers. As the cigar boom started leveling off, the pipe business started getting stronger. Pipe sales started getting really strong in ‘98, ‘99, and 2000. Around 2001, sales started leveling off, but are still at higher levels than they were before.
SMOKE: How long have you been with the company?
YSIDRON: About 33 years. Before that I worked for Martin-Marietta Corporation, the aerospace company that developed the Titan I, II, and III, which were the first missiles to go into space.
SMOKE: Had you had an interest in tobacco or pipes?
YSIDRON: Not really. I was simply uncomfortable in the corporate world. When you work for a large corporation, it’s hard to see your contribution to the overall success of a company. So when I met Achille Savinelli, we hit it off right away. I didn’t have any experience in the pipe business, but I was certainly young enough to learn.
SMOKE: Do you now feel that you are seeing your own contributions?
YSIDRON: Absolutely. I’ve been running this company for 33 years. If we fail, I can say it was definitely my fault; if we are successful - I feel I can tell you something else. We’re a family business and we don’t have any large corporations controlling us or telling us what to do. We do this truly out of the love of the product.
SMOKE - Spring, 2003   |