Skel Ton: The founder Tonio Neugebauer unpacks

Interview with the founder of the Skel Ton cigar brand, Tonio Neugebauer: He unpacks - and for the first time in Switzerland. He made the move from Germany to Switzerland in May 2023. He talks about how his brand has conquered a place in humidors despite the crowded market thanks to social media and enthusiastic aficionados. He explains how he found his partner to import into Switzerland and how he worked hard to succeed despite the initial difficulties in getting the brand accepted. His wife, Sandra, is also interviewed and gives an insight into the organizational secret behind the cigar brand. And: the "Gordo" format is available exclusively in Switzerland. I tested the cigar. You can find the link below under "You might also be interested in this".

Expected Reading Time: 12 Minutes

The path to becoming an importer in Switzerland: How Skel Ton cigars found a partner

Your cigar brand is coming to Switzerland. Really? Another cigar? How many cigar brands do you think Switzerland needs?

I completely agree with you - the market is really full of different cigars and each brand has its own justification in its own way, of course. At the end of the day, it's the retailer who decides which cigars to stock and the customer who decides which to buy. We live in a time of change, in which a small cigar brand like my Skel Ton cigars can fight for a place in the humidors through social media and the aficionados who promote them, even without having a large marketing budget. Of course, as in any industry, it remains a cut-throat market.

You have a great partner in The Royal Cigar Company, the importer for Switzerland. How did the deal come about?

You're absolutely right and we're really happy about that. To sum up, I met Raymondo about eight years ago at an event where he was presenting his own cigar brand. We got on very quickly and were on the same wavelength. A year later we met again, at that time I was still planning the Skel Ton cigars. Raymondo immediately showed interest in the brand and offered me the opportunity to distribute the cigars in Switzerland. However, as I was a start-up at the time without much funding and with little stock, the import was unfortunately delayed until today, but better late than never.

The slogan "Live YouTube Dreams". What's it all about?

The slogan "Live your Dreams" should not just be a motto, because everyone has dreams and wishes. With the name of my cigar, I want to remind aficionados that it is important to believe in their dreams and desires. It is normal that we will never achieve many of our wishes and dreams, but sometimes we have to take risks to realize them. Personally, I find this very difficult, so I probably chose this name to remind myself of this. 

Am I stupid, or is there really no Skel Ton website? I haven't found anything...

I'd rather not say anything about that ? but you're right about the website. The website runs via Tonios-Tabaco.de (link below under resources on the topic).

Family and business: How Tonio and his wife organize their everyday life

In April 2023, you went on vacation with your young family for the first time in years. I think Dieter Bohlen once said: "God made the sweat before the success." I mean: You designed your cigar brand from scratch, blended, imported, worked almost day and night. And now it's paying off. Why do you take or have you taken on these hardships?

When I started out, I had the hope and belief that my product would be successful. When it was actually as well received as I had hoped, I was pleasantly surprised. This opened up more opportunities for me and I kept investing the money I earned in the cigar brand due to the high demand. I also worked as an employee in a specialist cigar shop and invested the money I had left over in the brand. However, I had to make some compromises, such as giving up vacations and other expenses. Eventually, after five years, we were able to treat ourselves to a vacation.

However, I didn't blend the cigar myself, but in collaboration with Plasencia - who are real professionals in this field.

What drives you to cherish and maintain your brand?

I am simply so convinced of my brand that I don't even ask myself this question. My long-term goal is for Skel Ton cigars to be available worldwide at some point, even when I myself am old and gray. ?

Sandra is Tonio's wife. Sandra, how do you manage everything with your child? How do you organize yourselves? Do you ever have arguments when Tonio doesn't let up with his ideas?

Our everyday life is clearly structured. In addition to my main job, I look after our daughter Luise, while Tonio takes care of the cigar brand. We try to plan the remaining time together, depending on our needs and priorities. We are also lucky that Tonio's parents live nearby and offer us a lot of support.

Tonio is a creative spirit and has countless ideas, especially when it comes to the Skel Ton cigar. Sometimes I have to slow him down a little when he wants to do too much. However, the exchange of different ideas often brings new perspectives to light and is helpful in recognizing what is important and appropriate. 

There's no arguing about ideas, having different views is perhaps the secret recipe that makes it successful in the end. ?

Skel Ton revolutionizes packaging: the switch from wooden packaging to sustainable injection-moulded paper packaging

Which story with your brand was particularly exciting for you? Or particularly dramatic, or particularly instructive, or funny?

A detailed description would go beyond the scope of this article. However, the entire development process was extremely fascinating, exciting and, of course, stressful. It took over 2 years before we were able to hold the finished product in our hands. The import into Switzerland in collaboration with "The Royal Cigar Company", which we have been working towards for years, is a major milestone for us. The next step is the launch of our new cigar range, which we have been working on for some time now. We experience funny things every day, especially when things turn out differently than planned, but it's also educational.

You've reformed your cigar box, what's it all about?

That is absolutely right. Due to the extreme increase in wood prices and the enormously long waiting times, we had to rethink quickly. We swapped our wooden packaging for injection-molded paper packaging. 

These are made from a material that consists of renewable raw materials from Europe, which are also biodegradable?

Yes, the granulate consists of a mixture of cellulose, paper fibers, starch, chalk and kaolin, among other things. Due to the high cellulose and starch content, the material is called paper injection molding. There are no disadvantages compared to a wooden crate, and the crates are produced entirely in Germany. In contrast to our competitors, we have been able to keep prices fairly stable. More information is of course also available on my homepage.

We're hearing more and more often that your new cigar series will soon be on the market. What does that mean exactly?

That's right, the new cigar series was actually supposed to be launched a year ago. However, I still had some ideas and made a few changes. The production of the cigars has also been delayed somewhat. However, I am convinced that the presentation of the new cigar is quite unique and I am therefore very excited to see how the specialist trade and aficionados will accept the new series.

What tips would you give readers?

Smoke every cigar twice ?

Dear Tonio, dear Sandra: Thank you for this interview and good luck and continued success!

I hope you enjoyed my latest article and found the information it contained interesting. I am very excited to hear your views and look forward to reading your comment 🤗

Resources on the topic

Tonios Tobacco

The Royal Cigar Company

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Skel Ton Gordo Tasting