Crowned Heads

Crowned Heads is a Nashville-based premium-cigar company founded in 2011 by four former C.A.O. employees: Jon Huber, Mike Conder, Michael Trebing and Nancy Heathman. It owns and develops brands but does not rely on one company-owned factory, instead building line-specific partnerships with established cigar makers in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The portfolio connects music, place, memory and visual storytelling to distinct production houses. Four Kicks and Headley Grange established the company with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo; Jericho Hill, La Imperiosa, Las Calaveras and Moonflower demonstrate the My Father relationship; while Mil Días, Juárez, Broadway, Le Pâtissier and Coroneta show a broader Nicaraguan network.

From C.A.O. to Crowned Heads

Crowned Heads began after C.A.O. was consolidated into General Cigar and its Nashville operation moved to Virginia. Huber, Conder, Trebing and Heathman chose to remain in Nashville and formed a new independent company in February 2011 rather than follow the corporate relocation.

Their first cigar, Four Kicks, was developed with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and made at Tabacalera La Alianza in Santiago, Dominican Republic. That debut established the company's durable operating model: Crowned Heads would create the concept, select and refine blends with trusted makers, own the brand relationship and use the factory best suited to each project.

Nashville, Music and Brand Storytelling

Nashville is more than Crowned Heads' mailing address. Music and regional culture shape names and narratives across Four Kicks, Headley Grange, Jericho Hill, Tennessee Waltz and Broadway. The references give the portfolio a recognizable voice without turning every cigar into the same blend or factory story.

The company's stated philosophy emphasizes artisanal quality, balance, consistency, continuous improvement and a selective retail network. For Ashologist, those ideas are useful company context, but they are not substitutes for independent product-level evidence.

Leadership Transition and Current Ownership

Mike Conder retired as chief executive officer in 2025 after a 45-year cigar career and remained available as a consultant. Tim Ozgener purchased Conder's Crowned Heads shares and became chief executive officer; Jon Huber became president; Adam Shepard was named chief operating officer; and Miguel Schoedel became vice president of sales.

Current trade coverage identifies Huber as president and co-owner and Ozgener as chief executive officer and an owner through his purchase of Conder's shares. Crowned Heads remains privately held, and a complete equity table is not public, so Ashologist should name disclosed owners and leaders without inventing percentages or assuming every related brand has identical ownership.

Nashville Headquarters and Partner Production

Crowned Heads lists 748 Freeland Station Road, Nashville, Tennessee 37228 as its current company address. The U.S. office leads brand development, sales, packaging and retailer relationships, while cigar production is assigned to outside factories in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The company does not present itself as owning one vertically integrated factory. Its identity depends on long-term collaboration with Casa Carrillo, My Father Cigars, Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. and TacaNicsa, with factories and blends verified by named line rather than inferred from the Crowned Heads logo.

Ownership, Founders and Current Leadership

Crowned Heads is a privately held company formed by Jon Huber, Mike Conder, Michael Trebing and Nancy Heathman in 2011. Huber remains a founder, co-owner and president; Tim Ozgener is chief executive officer and a disclosed owner after acquiring Conder's shares.

Adam Shepard and Miguel Schoedel hold current operating and sales leadership roles, while Conder retired into a consulting relationship. Because staff, titles and ownership can evolve, the company page should preserve the 2011 founding team separately from the current management structure.

Brand Ownership and Manufacturing Network

Crowned Heads controls its brand concepts, portfolio architecture, packaging and commercial direction. Casa Carrillo makes Four Kicks, Headley Grange and related Dominican work; My Father makes Jericho Hill, La Imperiosa, Tennessee Waltz, Las Calaveras and Moonflower; and other Nicaraguan partners handle additional families.

NACSA makes Broadway, Le Pâtissier and the Habano side of Coroneta, while Casa Carrillo makes Coroneta Maduro. TacaNicsa, formerly identified through the D'Hatuey or Tabacalera Pichardo lineage, makes Mil Días, Juárez and Blood Medicine projects. Assignments can change, so the current factory belongs on every cigar page.

Four Kicks and Headley Grange

Four Kicks is Crowned Heads' 2011 debut and the foundation of its relationship with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. Headley Grange followed with a Led Zeppelin-inspired name and its own blend identity. Both belong to the Dominican production chapter, while Mule Kick, Capa Especial and other extensions require release-specific records.

Jericho Hill and La Imperiosa

Jericho Hill brought Crowned Heads into My Father production in Nicaragua with a Johnny Cash narrative and a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. La Imperiosa turned the original 2014 Las Calaveras blend into a regular-production family. Shared factory history does not make their blends interchangeable.

Mil Días and Juárez

Mil Días was developed through the Pichardo relationship and uses a broader multinational filler concept than many earlier Crowned Heads lines. Juárez occupies a darker, value-conscious position and supports limited format extensions such as the 2026 Mini-Dozer. Current production is associated with TacaNicsa under Eradio Pichardo's supervision.

Broadway, Le Pâtissier and Coroneta

Broadway is a Nashville-and-broadleaf wordplay introduced with Crowned Heads' 2025 unified branding and made at NACSA. Le Pâtissier also moved to NACSA. Coroneta deliberately splits production: Habano is made at NACSA in Nicaragua, while Maduro is made at Casa Carrillo in the Dominican Republic.

Las Calaveras, Moonflower and Special Projects

Las Calaveras is an annual My Father-made tribute series whose blend and presentation change by year. Moonflower, released in 2026, is the company's first new regular My Father line in more than a decade. Tennessee Waltz, Décimo Aniversario, Blood Medicine, Mule Kick and other regional or limited projects need individual release pages.

Crowned Heads in the Ashology Network

The Crowned Heads manufacturer page should be the parent hub for the 2011 founding, C.A.O. background, Nashville headquarters, 2025 ownership transition, current leadership, factory network and principal brand families. Individual cigar pages can then carry factory, blend, vitola, release, tasting, construction, value, availability and competition evidence.

The company should not receive one universal Ashology score. A Casa Carrillo-made Four Kicks, a My Father-made Jericho Hill or Moonflower, a TacaNicsa-made Mil Días and a NACSA-made Broadway answer different briefs. The company story explains relationships; only a named cigar and size can be judged for performance.