Tobacco Expo Displays Variety as PMTA Looms

LAS VEGAS — While the variety of flavors and innovation was evident on the show floor of the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) earlier this year, the abundance stood in contrast to the looming U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deadline for manufacturers to apply for new-product authorization, because that complex and expensive process may force many products that were on display off the market by this spring, according to officials following the tobacco industry.

Combined with FDA restrictions on flavored vape cartridges announced earlier this year, the double whammy may affect not only products that retailers saw at TPE but also many products currently on c-store shelves, said experts speaking during the TPE educational sessions. For most vape and new tobacco products to either remain or return to U.S. markets, manufacturers must submit premarket tobacco applications (PMTAs), which are due May 12, 2020, according to Tom Briant, executive director for tobacco retailing association NATO, based in Lakeville, Minn.

Virtually all vaping products will have to undergo the FDA’s new-product review process, Briant said during an educational session. Manufacturers that do submit PMTAs can leave their products on the market while the FDA reviews their submissions, he said.

Unfortunately, PMTAs themselves typically require a vast amount of scientific and supportive material, which can be costly and cumbersome. The requirements will most likely force manufacturers to strategically select which SKUs they want to put through the process, Briant said.

Still, with the pending deadline as a backdrop, exhibitors showed a wide breadth of products—including cannabidiol or CBD products—leaving retailers to sort through them with a cautious eye.

Here are some vaping and tobacco manufacturers and products that stood out …

Altadis USA, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has several cigar products and brands, including Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, and Trinidad. The company started in 1918 and over the years has gained access to tobacco leaves from growers worldwide. This allows the company to provide high-quality products at a fair price, officials said. Today, Altadis operates production facilities in the Dominican Republic and Honduras, and it partners with factories in Mexico and Nicaragua.

Walled Lake, Mich.-based Brassworld Inc., is a wholesaler of what the company said is the largest collection of Zippo-branded lighters in the United States, including the recently launched series of Zippo Blu butane lighters, Zippo Hand Warmers and Zippo fuel and accessories.

Miami-based CLE Cigars is a third-generation family business focusing on premium cigars.

Miami-based Drew Estate displayed multiple cigar lines, including Acid Blondie, Acid Krush, Blue Connecticut and Tobak Negra.

Riverside, Calif.-based Dripmore LLC showcased multiple flavors of its Topic King e-liquids on the TPE show floor.

Darien, Conn.-based E-Alternative Solutions (EAS) has a line of vaping devices branded Leap in multiple flavors, as well as a disposable e-cigarette line called Leap Go. EAS has recently branched into CBD products, launching a brand called Forth.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Fontem Ventures makes blu e-cigarettes and the myblu device, which is a cartridge-based, closed nicotine delivery system. Flavors include Tobacco Chill Intense, Tobacco Intense, Classic Tobacco, Menthol and Carolina Bold.

Akron, Ohio-based Fully Loaded featured a “chew” product that is a tobacco-free nicotine dip. The product is made in the United States with all food-grade ingredients. Customers can pick long cut or pouches, which are in full, half and zero nicotine strength, the company said.

London-based Hyde Vape carries disposable vaping pens in multiple flavors.

Teaneck, N.J.-based JT International exhibited its Logic-branded vaping device. The company said e-cigarettes are the most popular type of vaping product globally, particularly in Western Europe and the United States.

King Palm, Ontario, Calif., provides an all-natural alternative to combustible cigarettes, with a tobacco-free leaf roll that contains no glue or additives, the company said. Its two-for-$1.99 Mini Rolls are sold through established wholesalers, allowing consumers access through c-stores and smoke shops across America. The company said it has a social media following of more than 225,000 fans worldwide.

Kretek International, the Moorpark, Calif.-based organizer of the Tobacco Plus Expo, had several products on display, including its Vintage series of little cigars and its Dryft nicotine pouches. Representatives on the show floor demonstrated a new shelving unit for the Dryft cans, which allowed employees easy access.

Former NBA star Karl Malone addressed the TPE gathering as its keynote speaker, urging retailers to respect front-line employees, calling them their “soldiers.” He spoke of the path that brought him to the cigar business and his eventual product called the La Aurora Barrel Aged by Karl Malone, which is also his Cumming, Ga.-based company. He said it took several trips to Latin America to learn about the craft of cigar making and to convince local growers of his intent to market quality products.His cigars’ wrappers and binders come from Ecuador, while their fillers are a blend of tobaccos from Peru, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

Based in City of Industry, Calif., LA Vapor provides a range of vaping devices, including a disposable e-cigarette called Helix Bar.

Orlando, Fla.-based Legal Lean exhibited a range of products, including organic, flavored-leaf wraps.

New-York based Nat Sherman International featured its Metropolitan Host Maduro premium cigar, one of its bestselling brands, with wrapper, binder and filler coming from Honduras.

Louisville, Ky.-based National Tobacco Co. carried a wide range of organic, hemp-based rolling papers, building on its popular Zig-Zag brand. On the TPE show floor, National Tobacco featured its Organic Hemp, Slow Burning, Ultra Thin and Unbleached papers.

Akwesasne, N.Y.-based Ohserase Manufacturing, maker of Signal-branded cigarettes, filtered cigars and pipe tobacco, promoted its Native American roots.

Jupiter, Fla.-based Pixotine Products exhibited a range of flavored toothpicks, including Cinnamon and Winter Ice.

Premier Manufacturing, a subsidiary of U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, Raleigh, N.C., exhibited a range of combustible tobacco products, including its Manitou cigarette brand.

JOB Virgin Rolling Papers from Republic Tobacco, Glenview, Ill., are vegan and GMO-free and made from fibers that retain their native brown hue, the company said. The thin and slightly porous papers are available in single wide and slim sizes. A case contains 40 boxes, and a four-box counter display is available for merchandising.

Royal Blunts, Tustin, Calif., carries a range of cigar-wrapping paper in multiple flavors.

Grandada Hills, Calif.-based Serbetli Hookah displayed hookahs and hookah tobacco.

Shenzhen Woody Vapes Technology Co., Shenzhen, China, presented an array of vaping starter kids and pod-based systems.

Boulder, Colo.-based Smoker Friendly International showed cigarettes, machine-made cigars, premium cigars, pipe tobacco and smokeless tobacco.

Coppell, Texas-based Smokey Mountain exhibited herbal snuff that was tobacco-free and nicotine-free. Its products come in a range of flavors, including Wintergreen, Classic and Arctic Mint.

A maker of premium cigars, Los Angeles-based Tatuaje Cigars featured lines such as Cabaiguan, Fousto and La Riqueza.

Offering wrapping paper made with organic hemp, Tustin, Calif.-based True Hemp said its products are nicotine- and tobacco-free, with no GMOs. The company features flavors such as gelato, honey, banana and mango.

A part of the vaping inventory for Westborough, Mass.-based EG America for several months, Vape Dinner Lady, Blackburn, United Kingdom, showed lines of e-liquids, vaping devices and CBD products at TPE.

Phoenix-based VaporTech USA featured its line of Vapo Maxx disposable, nicotine salt-based e-cigarettes, saying users can receive up to 280 puffs per unit.

Pryor, Okla.-based XCaliber International has cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco with brand names such as Edgefield, Blue Grass and Red Buck.

Founded in 2001, Jackson, Wyo.-based Wind River Tobacco Co. featured chewing and smoking tobacco.