A Custodian of Tradition: Mark Ryan

 

(Smokingpipes.com) When an opportunity came up to sit down with Mark Ryan during a visit to our offices, we jumped at the chance. After all, he's a key figure in pipe tobacco in the US, and possibly the world. Still, I wasn't sure what to expect. Every first-hand account had the man as being intelligent and genial, yet he's such a controversial figure that one can't help but to be a little uncertain as to who exactly it is you'll be meeting.
Fact is, he's a bit of both: a polite, unassuming businessman, with a quick, warm humour and a passion for his craft that still burns brightly after 23 years in the tobacco industry. Continued