Written by Gary Korb
Saturday, October 03 2009
The premium cigar business is not the type of industry that lends itself to investigative journalism, nor is Cigar Advisor's function much more than to bring you industry news, commentary, cigar reviews, and other pertinent information.
Nonetheless, sitting around in New Orleans during the IPCPR, a couple of us concluded the time was right for something big to happen within the industry (lifting of the Cuban embargo notwithstanding). As the conversation continued, we speculated about the possibilities of a major retailer or brand acquisition that would be a real coup to a major distributor.
Conversation and speculation aside, in Santiago, The Dominican Republic the other day, an associate of ours saw Rene Castaneda, Vice President of Miami Cigar & Company, Don José Pepin Garcia, and Jamie Garcia with Guillermo Leon and Jose Blanco of La Aurora.
Of course, that's no surprise. Miami Cigar has become a serious customer of the Garcias with the success of their Nestor Miranda Collection.