Michael Herklots had worked in the cigar industry for over twenty years before launching the Ferio Tego Brand with business partner Brendon Scott in 2021. Herklots sees Ferio Tego as more than just cigar blends. It is a “philosophy rooted in values.” It’s no wonder the Ferio Tego (translated as “Strike and Defend”) brand uses an image from the Herklots’ coat of arms — Hercules battling the Hydra. Herklots talked with Cigar Life Guy about giving up the pursuit of music for cigars, his partnership with Scott, and having the good fortune of working in an industry he loves.
First Premium Cigar Experience
Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.
Michael Herklots: I enjoyed my first cigar in college. It was my first semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I was out for a walk with one of my roommates, and we passed a cigar bar, and he wanted to go in. Walking through that door would forever change me, but I didn’t know anything about it, nor was I interested in it then.
I tasted an Ashton classic. And it was a flavor and a medium I had never experienced. Despite my laser focus on pursuing music as a career, I was enamored. Cigars were my hobby, but one I couldn’t afford. So, I got a retail job at a mall kiosk selling cigars. That was around 1999. I’ve worked in the industry ever since.
Owning a Tobacco Business
Cigar Life Guy: You have been in the tobacco business for a long time. Why did you decide to start your own line of cigars?
Michael Herklots: I suppose after twenty-plus years of working in the industry, there was a clear opportunity to start something. I had created blends for about ten years, but now was an opportunity to author the work. As I spoke to friends in the industry, their encouragement to start a brand and a company was overwhelming. And we did.
Cigar Life Guy: You worked for a large tobacco corporation before starting your own company. What did you learn working with a huge company & how did that impact how you approached launching a startup?
Michael Herklots: My start in Boston was a tiny business. I spent nine years with Davidoff of Geneva, a global company that is still family-owned. After that, I spent nine years with Nat Sherman — most of that time working for the Sherman family. Then, there were the last three for Altria, a massive publicly traded company that had acquired Nat Sherman. So, I’ve learned a lot from all those experiences before the acquisition.
I learned quickly that the size of the business doesn’t matter. It still takes people working together and making decisions to get things done. No matter how “senior” or experienced someone may be or how much research and strategic planning goes into a decision. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. And that’s just life. Big and small businesses — all businesses require good people willing and able to do the work. And that can make a huge company feel like a family business.
Partnership and the Ferio Tego Brand
Cigar Life Guy: Describe your partnership with Brendon Scott.
Michael Herklots: Brendon and I worked together for almost ten years. We worked closely together for nearly ten years. We respect each other, we trust each other, we like each other, and we have fun working together. After almost a decade of doing all that work together for a company, it was clear we could do all that work for ourselves and build something special together.
Cigar Life Guy: You use Hercules battling the Hydra in your design. How do you want consumers to see the Ferio Tego brand?
Michael Herklots: I hope Ferio Tego is meaningful. That instills feelings of joy and celebration but also of quality, consistency, inimitability, and value. It’s more than just a blend of flavors. Ferio Tego is a philosophy deeply rooted in values like transparency, honesty, and trust.
The Ferio Tego Portfolio
Cigar Life Guy: Tell us a little about the Ferio Tego portfolio.
Michael Herklots: Ferio Tego has three brands. Our flagship brand is our namesake, Ferio Tego. It is offered in two ways: as a set of annual limited releases, Elegancia and Generoso. Just like a winemaker may offer a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon — we offer two completely unique expressions. Yet, despite their differences in flavor, they share a commonality in a full, dense, creamy body. Second- as a core blend called Summa. This blend is made consistently throughout the year and is offered in multiple formats. Once again, it is a completely unique blend compared to Elegancia and Generoso but shares the signature style of a round, mouth-filling body.
Then, under the halo of “Ferio Tego,” we have two additional brands, the Timeless Collection and the Metropolitan Selection. Timeless has four blends- each wonderfully complex and nuanced with deliberate development from beginning to end. Metropolitan has five blends that are quite traditional, old-world-style expressions of their country of manufacture in flavor. However, they are much more new-world and contemporary in their body and complexity compared to legacy blends still on the market.
Challenges Facing the Cigar Industry
Cigar Life Guy: What is the biggest challenge facing the cigar industry?
Michael Herklots: It’s tough to say the biggest. One that stands out is our inability to use the tools any other company or industry can, like social media and advertising. In addition, regulation, taxation, and new legislation are all high risks, especially with the introduction of some of these generational smoking ban bills that would lead to the complete elimination of our industry.
Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.
Michael Herklots: I am very fortunate to make a living doing something I love. If you love our work, I would just ask one extra favor. Share your love for our work. Tell a friend. Post a photo. Put a box out at your next barbecue or backyard party. That simple, authentic endorsement permits others to love our brand before trying it.
Follow Michael on Instagram and check out the latest from Ferio Tego here.
photo credit: Michael Herklots