Owners Kendrick Woolstenhulme and Brandon Oveson. Photos Courtesy of Apostate Cigars
Apostate Cigars’ website leads with a cheeky quote that quickly conveys two things: 1) its founders were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and 2) they are emphatically not any more. Following a definition of the word “apostate,” the home page quotes 1 Nephi 5:9: “And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer burnt offerings unto the Lord.”
That winking nod is how Kendrick Woolstenhulme and Brandon Oveson opted to tackle the challenge of selling cigars in a state where Mormons are taught smoking is a violation of the Word of Wisdom.
“Tobacco and smoking are viewed as a sin,” Kendrick says. “That idea has created a cigar community here in Utah even more tight-knit than in other places.”
Kendrick discovered cigars after leaving faith and, predictably, found himself in a Las Vegas casino where he smoked his first cigar. He discovered an experience that “engages all of your senses.” He fell in love with the lore of the hobby.
In 2009, he found himself on the retail side of the cigar business. More than a decade later, he and Brandon co-founded Apostate Cigars in 2020 under the tagline, “Keeping smoking spiritual.” The brand is now nationally distributed through its partnership with Oveja Negra Brands. Master blender Jochy Blanco produces the cigars at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic and the stogies feature inside-baseball names like “The Liahona,” “The Deseret,” “The Feathered Serpent” or “The Sword of Laban.” Apostate digs into Mormonism's deep cuts, pulling little-known characters and lore out of Sunday School into a literal smoke-filled room.
Despite its national growth, Kendrick says the brand's emphasis on community has never changed. He believes that sense of belonging continues to draw in “lost sheep,” whether they're ex-Mormons or simply people who have walked away from something familiar in search of a new chapter.
He calls the art of smoking cigars a great equalizer and the brand’s story something to “catch people when they fall.” There are “plenty of lost sheep to gather,” he says, and he finds it fulfilling to help an ex-mo pick out their first cigar.
His first cigar came in a casino. Years later, that experience led to a business. Fittingly, the word “sin” appears in both. Yet for Kendrick, neither represented rebellion for rebellion's sake. Instead, they became a pathway to the community he was missing.
Deep Cut: The Legend of the Feathered Serpent
One of Apostate’s cigar names, “The Feathered Serpent,” is a reference to a Mormon theory that connects Jesus Christ, the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl and the ancient Americas. In the Book of Mormon, there is an account of Jesus visiting the Americas. Historical writings from early church leaders—such as President John Taylor—suggest that Native American oral histories of Quetzalcoatl were merely retellings of Christ’s appearance to the peoples of Mesoamerica.
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Apostate Cigars
161 E. 400 South, SLC
apostatecigars.com
