Tag: dominican republic

Fire Damages Universal Facility in Dominican

Image: sharafmaksumov
A fire broke out Sept. 2 at Inetab-Kaubeck, Universal Corp.’s leaf-sorting and sales facility in Moca, Dominican Republic.
In a letter sent to Universal clients obtained by Halfwheel, Inetab-Kaubeck Managing Director Philipp Schumacher said that there was “a material loss of tobacco and one part of the warehouse affected.”
The letter states that staff were not on-site at the time of the fire, and no lives were lost. It does not list the cause of the fire.
Video of the fire showed a large warehouse that appeared to still have tobacco in it, but images shared with Halfwheel show a mostly empty building with remnants of tobacco on the floor and tables as well as char marks around the walls and standing water on the floor.
In a subsequent video, Henderson Ventura of Tabacalera William Ventura and ADV & McKay Cigars Co. said that it is one of eight buildings at Inetab-Kaubeck and one that focused on Connecticut broadleaf and Pennsylvania tobaccos.
“We thank all emergency services present and [e]specially the fire departments from Moca and multiple other locations in the Cibao area for their assistance to the fire,” said Schumacher. “Thanks to their tireless efforts, it was controlled swiftly.”
September 3, 2024
Fire Destroys Dominican Cigar Factories

Photo: Artem
A large fire broke out on Sept. 26 in Tamboril, Dominican Republic, destroying the Tabacalera William Ventura and Intercigar factories, reports Halfwheel.
Tabacalera William Ventura produces its own line of cigars under the ADV and McKay and ADVentura names as well as producing cigars for Caldwell Cigar Co., Bellatto Premium Cigars, Freud Cigar Co., Room101, J. London Cigars and others. Intercigar produces the Vallejuelo line as well as other brands and has also produced cigars for RBGN Rauchvergnugen.
The two companies shared the same factory building. The cause has not been identified yet, but there were no reported injuries.
Tabacalera William Ventura will move its production to a smaller factory, El Maestro, while the main facility is unavailable.
The Zona Franca La Palma complex is home to several cigar factories.
September 27, 2022
Avanti Cigar Moves to the Dominican Republic

Photo: sezerozger
The Avanti Cigar Co. is moving its production from the United States to the Dominican Republic, citing high labor cost and difficulty in finding employees as reasons for the decision, according to a report in the Standard-Speaker.
After manufacturing premium cigars for more than 90 years in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, Avanti will shut down its U.S. factory on Aug. 31.
“The last two years have been difficult due to the Covid-19 pandemic; it is getting harder and harder to hire skilled people, able to learn and manage production activities and to guarantee business sustainability in the medium [term] and long term,” the company wrote in a statement.
Founded in 1912 in New York City as Suraci Brothers, the company moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, around 1930, then to Dunmore in 2013.
David Ozgo, president of the Cigar Association of America, said Avanti’s move overseas fits a trend.
“This is a trend that’s been going on for decades,” Ozgo said. “In the U.S., we make a lot of premium tobacco. There is a real issue in hiring employees that probably makes it more attractive for them to move to the Dominican Republic.”
August 10, 2022
Chinese Investors Eye Dominican Tobacco

Photo: alekosa
Chinese investors are negotiating to purchase leaf tobacco from the Dominican Republic, a development that could significantly boost exports from the Dominican Republic, reports The Dominican Today.
The Dominican Republic is already the world’s leading exporter of cigars.
Local industry representatives indicated that the Chinese investors are interested in the Olor Dominicano variety, which the large international cigar companies operating in the country use to manufacture their best blends.
The Dominican Republic exports cigars to 142 countries, according to José Guillermo López, a board member of Asociación de Desarrollo de la Provincia Espaillat.
López said the country has sufficient lands to expand tobacco cultivation. “We have the land capacity to plant four or five times more than what is being planted, without counting the potential of the south.”
The south’s problem of water shortages, he added, has been solved by investments in irrigation canals.
December 1, 2021
Cigar Industry Booms Amid Lockdowns

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Coronavirus lockdowns worldwide are proving to be a boon for the Dominican Republic’s cigar industry, reports Bloomberg.
Already the world’s largest cigar producer, the Caribbean nation is on track to export a record $1 billion worth of tobacco products this year, up 6 percent over the $942 million it sold abroad in 2019, according to government figures.
The cigar industry has emerged as a bright spot for the region’s largest economy, which is expected to shrink 5.5 percent this year, as its critical tourism and services sectors are impacted by coronavirus-related restrictions.
The Dominican Republic is thought to be one of the birthplaces of the cigar; islanders were rolling and smoking tobacco centuries before Columbus set foot on the island. When Cuba nationalized its cigar industry during the 1959 revolution, many of the top growers moved to the neighboring island, propelling the Dominican industry.
Hendrik Kelner, president of the Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers isn’t surprised by the resilience of the “puros.” With cigar afficionados around the world unable to frequent bars and restaurants, they’re spending more money and time on their smoking habit,” he said.
“A cigar,” said Hendrik, “is like a loyal friend who accompanies you when times are tough and you’re lonely.”
December 30, 2020
ITM service center in Dominican Republic.
ITM Group has opened a new service center, GTS-SCM, in the Dominican Republic. The facility supplies machinery and spare parts to the cigar industry in the Caribbean and Latin America. GTS-SCM’s experienced and well-trained technicians also provide maintenance and services.
Measuring more than 3,000 square-meters, the service center holds a vast stock of used cigar machinery as well as spares to minimize delivery times to customers in the region.
Drawing on the considerable experience of GTS-SCM partners Daniel Nunez and Modesta Fondeur—both of whom are former top executives at General Cigar—the service center also provides tobacco consultancy services in agronomy, blending, purchasing and other fields.

August 27, 2013