BLENDING ASSISTANT
Looking for a job? Look elsewhere.
Looking for a craft — at a place where you make something real, with your hands and your head, and it actually matters to people you may never meet? That's what working at Cornell & Diehl feels like.
Every batch you help produce gets opened, sniffed, rubbed out, and talked about by hobbyists who know the difference between "fine" and "this is special." If you want your day's work to live in someone's pipe, cellar, and memory — not just on a spreadsheet — read on.
Cornell & Diehl is a small, obsessively focused producer of boutique pipe tobaccos. The company manufactures and blends tobaccos in Loris, South Carolina, carrying on and evolving a craft that has roots in small American blending houses and classic English traditions. The team works with real leaf, traditional methods, and carefully tuned machinery to create mixtures that collectors seek out, cellar, and argue about with the intensity some people reserve for wine or coffee.
We are part of the Laudisi family of companies, but Cornell & Diehl has the feel of a workshop: small teams, visible impact, and a direct line between what you do on the floor and what a smoker experiences in his pipe.
Your role? You're the person working behind the scenes to maximize the output potential of the factory — stripping leaf, sorting, weighing, organizing, and expediting processes so the blending team can focus on turning recipes into reality.
In many ways, this role is analogous to Commis Chef or Kitchen Porter: you remove friction from production processes while learning the ins and outs of boutique pipe tobacco blending.
WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY DO:
Strip and sort raw tobacco, weigh out and organize raw components, and transport finished blends to the packaging area with the kind of attention to detail that keeps everything running smoothly.
That's the standard. Every batch. Every day.
You'll also:
- Clean and sanitize blending tables between batches
- Carefully measure out sauces and flavorings to exact specifications
- Stove tobacco in the proofing oven
- Clean drying mats and maintain workspace organization
- Develop the product knowledge to spot quality control issues before they become problems
- Stay OSHA and FDA compliant because cutting corners isn't an option
YOU'LL THRIVE HERE IF:
Over time, if you're curious and attentive, you don't just "help out" — you start to understand why different leaves are cut, cased, pressed, and aged the way they are, and how small process choices show up in the tin years later.
This is one of the few places left where you can learn a physical craft that people care deeply about, without needing a decade of prior experience. You'll see your work go out into the world in tins and jars, show up in collections and cellars, and get discussed by name.
YOU CAN EXPECT:
- Compensation and benefits: Competitive compensation; health, dental, and vision insurance; six paid holidays; generous PTO; 401(k) with 1:1 match up to 4% and no vesting period.
- Perks: casual dress (jeans and t‑shirts), tuition reimbursement, referral bonuses, year‑end bonuses, fresh fruit daily, paid luncheons, and regular company events.
- Growth: real opportunities to take on more responsibility as you master the work, improve processes, and show you can own outcomes—not just tasks.
- Culture: a passionate group of “Laudisians” who like the products, like the customers, and like working with other people who actually care.
- A team that will actually teach you: why a blend is pressed for this long and not that long, why this leaf gets cased differently, why this batch smells "right" and that one doesn't. You'll learn the art of pipe tobacco blending directly from Jeremy Reeves and other experts.
- Reality check: we work around tobacco and smoke; many of us are enthusiasts. You’ll often be in smoking areas, so you’ll need to be comfortable with that.
WHAT YOU'LL BRING:
While experience in a commercial kitchen or a manufacturing environment would be great, what we're really looking for is:
- A real intolerance for sloppiness—superlative attention to detail where when something's off, you notice and you fix it
- Reliability: on time, on site, focused every single day—punctual, reliable, and flexible
- The ability to work autonomously with little direction while taking guidance from teammates and management when needed
- Excellent active listening skills and exceptional communication, both verbally and in writing
- Strong capacity for problem solving and critical thinking
- Comfort being on your feet all day and lifting up to 30 lbs regularly
- A willingness to learn and retain knowledge about products and processes—be curious, open-minded, and a life-long learner
- A valid driver's license and the ability to pass a criminal background check
- Availability to work Monday - Friday 8am to 4:30pm
THE BOTTOM LINE:
This job isn't for everyone. It's for people who take pride in doing things right, who get frustrated when standards slip, and who want to be part of a team that actually holds the line.
If you're reading this and thinking, "finally, a place that gets it" — apply below.
If you're reading this and thinking, "Wow, they sound intense" — we probably are. And that's fine. There are plenty of other jobs out there.
But if you want to be part of something where your effort matters, where quality isn't negotiable, and where showing up means actually showing up?
We're building something here. Come help us build it right.
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply via corporate.laudisi.com for the Blending Assistant role and upload your resume and a cover letter explaining why you think you'd be a great fit at Laudisi.
Look, we’re super passionate about the things we do—for many of us that includes the things we buy, make, and sell chiefly pipes, pipe tobacco, and cigars. Lots of us smoke tobacco at Laudisi and there will be times when you must work in smoking areas. Please consider whether you are comfortable working around smoke and tobacco before applying for this position. Check us out and apply at corporate.laudisi.com
Applicants being considered must pass a criminal background check. Our hiring and employment practices are based solely on job related criteria, and we do not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by law.
Compensation: $17.00 Hourly