Thursday, May 06 2010
Fairfax, VA – In an effort to increase membership and offer existing members an added value, CRA launched an eight-month initiative starting in May 2009 to raffle a once-in-a-lifetime fantasy cigar trip to cigar factories in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Bahamas.
In September 2009, one lucky CRA member, Daniel Owen from Leeds, Alabama, received a phone call after being randomly drawn as the winner for the La Aurora Cigar Factory trip to the Dominican Republic. Owen was ecstatic to learn that he won the all-inclusive trip donated by La Aurora Cigars.
“Donating this trip helped us achieve many goals. Primarily, we wanted to support CRA with membership recruitment. However, we also wanted the opportunity to show cigar enthusiasts the art form and care that goes into making a premium cigar,” said Jose Blanco, Sales Director for La Aurora Cigars.
Last month, Owen, accompanied by his father and two friends, traveled to the Dominican Republic where they were greeted by Jose Blanco. Sparing now expense, La Aurora Cigars arranged for luxury accommodations at one of the most renown hotels on the island, Camp David – the historic location used by Rafael Leonidas Trujillo the fierce dictator from 1930-1952.
During their trip, Owen and his party we given exclusive access to the historic La Aurora Cigar Factory (est. 1903) located just outside Santiago. They enjoyed a guided tour by Jose Blanco and had the opportunity to meet some of the world’s most masterful cigar makers. In addition the VIP guests were taught the proprietary 13-step manufacturing process used by La Aurora to ensure each cigar is of the utmost quality and freshness.
Owen recalls one of the most memorable parts of the trip, “just visiting the La Aurora Cigar Factory was enough for us, but we were blown away when Jose and the La Aurora team went above and beyond our expectation and gave us a 1903 Gold Preferido from the original bunch in 2003. Then, we were given the opportunity to roll our own cigars!”
With this trip, and the others like it, CRA is confident that more and more people will appreciate the fine art of premium cigars and the importance of fighting for our freedom to enjoy them.
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