Stories From The Herd: "Mad Max"
January 16, 2020
The Black Buffalo herd is comprised of badass dippers and doers. In our Stories From The Herd series, we share firsthand accounts of how they Charge Ahead their own way.
Meet Max (aka "Mad Max" because he's a badass to us), a 36-year-old Finance Manager from Indiana. He’s been dippin’ for just shy of two decades, but ditched the tobacco over a year ago when he packed his first pinch of Black Buffalo. Here’s how "Mad Max" charges ahead ...
Q: When did you start dipping?
A: "I first tried dip at the county fair just before the start of my senior year of high school. I grew up 30 miles north of Louisville. It's all farms, bluegrass, tobacco and s**t. I picked up the habit during our football season. In the fall, I enrolled in college closer to Ohio and pretty much used tobacco all day, every day … it was the only way to get through all those f***ing reports."
Q: How do you dip now?
A: "I still dip pretty regularly and go through about a log every other week. My wife’s originally from Montreal, and I guess didn’t grow up with it around as much as I did, but she doesn’t really give me s**t for Black Buffalo. She knows I like it and she likes that it’s a tobacco alternative. Wives worry, ya know. I’ve got a 45-minute commute to work, so it helps get through traffic. Sometimes I have to scroll through a lot of numbers and reports at work, so I like getting into a zone with Black Buffalo and coffee. Thankfully I work with a bunch of guys like me, so we all have empty coffee cups on our desks. It’s like our code."
Q: Why did you try Black Buffalo?
A: "My wife was never a big fan of me chewing tobacco and I started thinking different when we had our daughter. Part of growing up I guess. I checked out other alternatives, but nothing worked. So I kept dipping [name removed because we don’t want to get sued] and she stayed on me about it. Every New Year’s and birthday, I made it my commitment to quit, but I couldn’t do it. I like dipping! Then I heard about Black Buffalo on the radio. I was skeptical, but it came into my life at a good time, so I bought a sleeve of the Wintergreen Long Cut. I got it a couple days later … wow. It tasted really good, gave me the nicotine fix, and I like the company story. My wife’s parents were in town for the holidays, and they would always give me s**t about it if they saw a can around the house. But I could tell them it’s a tobacco alternative -- and they're the ones smoking cigarettes. Anyways, my wife was very happy that I quit tobacco, so I bought another ten cans that week. I’m still dipping Black Buffalo Wintergreen Long Cut. I keep telling my wife to try it. She won't."
Q: What does Charge Ahead mean to you?
A: "Don’t stop until you’ve found success. After college I settled into a job I hated, but it paid fine and I could get by. When my wife and I started dating, she pushed me to do things that make me happy, so that’s what I did. I finally landed the right gig at an awesome company with awesome people. I actually like going to work now. Your company’s story about pushing through when it’s tough reminded me of my own journey."
Q: What’s next on your horizon?
A: "I’m gonna keep following my wife’s advice and try stuff that makes me happy. You guys say that too. She was right about my job and even about quitting tobacco. I always wanted to play guitar, but just never made time. I'm going to in 2020."
Here's one of our favorite guitar solos for inspiration. Even when Gary pops a string, he charges ahead and doesn't look back. Thank you for roaming with us, "Mad Max."