Marcano — a century
of craft, made clickable.
A premium hand-rolled cigar house sitting on a hundred years of heritage — and a website that gave none of it away. We rebuilt the brand and the store around the ritual, not the transaction.
The challenge
Heritage that wasn't showing up.
Marcano has rolled cigars by hand since 1922, with three distinct collections — Heritage, Reserva and Edición Limitada. But their old site looked like a generic catalogue: flat product shots, no story, and a clunky checkout that leaked customers, especially on mobile.
Worse, a luxury, age-restricted product needs an age gate and a sense of occasion. Theirs had neither. Buyers who'd happily pay a premium in person were bouncing online.
“People weren't buying a cigar. They were buying a ritual — so the site had to sell the ritual.”
What we did
A brand with weight, a store with none.
Rebuilt the identity around heritage
A refined wordmark, a deep tobacco-and-gold palette and editorial typography that signals age and craft the moment the page loads.
Designed the collections as chapters
Heritage, Reserva and Edición Limitada each got their own visual treatment, so browsing felt like walking a humidor rather than scrolling a grid.
Made the age gate part of the experience
A tasteful 21+ entry that reinforces exclusivity instead of feeling like a legal speed bump.
Rebuilt checkout for mobile
A streamlined, distraction-free flow that cut steps and made buying on a phone feel as considered as buying in the shop.
The results
The ritual paid off.
“ZK didn't just redesign our site — they rebuilt how customers see the brand. Conversions jumped 40% in the first quarter, and the store finally feels as premium as the cigars.
MMarcus EllisonFounder, Marcano Cigars