Cynthia Fuente…The First Lady of Cigars
Nicknamed “The First Lady of Cigars” for holding the highest ranking corporate position within the cigar industry—president of US. operations for Arturo Fuente Tobacco Company~Cynthia Fuente Suarez is constantly asked what it is like to be a woman in a “man’s world” and how it feels to be a female pioneer in the tobacco industry. For Fuente, these are confounding questions. A woman in the cigar industry is special? She is a pioneer? Fuente has been part of the cigar industry since the day she was born and for as far back as she can remember, women have not just been a part of it—they have been a major part of it.
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100 Years of Fuente – Celebrating a Family Dynasty
The warehouses were completely engulfed in flames, and the firefighters were losing the battle. The men and women attacked the fire, spurting water through the windows of the blazing buildings until the smoke and the heat overwhelmed them. Even when they could fight no longer they called for milk in hopes of fortifying themselves for another round, But it was too late. Two large warehouses with irreplaceable stocks of tobacco were lost.
Veritable bunkers, the two structures had seemed impregnable until Hurricane lrene raged to within 70 miles of Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic, stirring Winds that fed the flames. Even as the blaze leapt toward the sky, rains lashed the scene, almost in irony. Inside was a treasure trove, tobacco that was years and even decades old, leaves from around the world that had been destined to he rolled into celebratory smokes for its owner, Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia.
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Arturo Fuente Announces New Sales Hires
Arturo Fuente Cigars back in Nicaragua!
On Jan 26th, Carlito Fuente surprised those in attendance at Puro Sabor 2018 when he announced that “Carlito’s Back!” in Nicaragua. Having had a presence in the country in the 1970s, Arturo Fuente has returned to build a cigar factory in the heart of Esteli with the name “Gran Fabrica de Tabacos La Bella y La Bestia.” The concept of the colonial design, which is a tribute to Nicaragua, was created by Carlito and designed by Manny Iriarte. In addition, Carlito announced that Felix Mesa, an experienced tobacco man and owner of El Galan Cigars, will oversee operations at the new Fuente facility. Finally, Carlito shared his desire to bring to Nicaragua his United Nations-recognized Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which has helped so many children in the Dominican Republic. Aside from Carlito, Felix and Manny, Liana Fuente was in attendance at the announcement representing the 4th generation of the Fuente family.
How Cigars Became a Symbol of Luxury
BY RICHARD CARLETON HACKER
Carlos “Carlito” Fuente, Jr. is president of Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia, the largest family-owned premium cigar company in the world. Headquartered in Santiago, Dominican Republic, they employ 4,000 people and produce 30 million cigars a year.
The company was founded in the United States in 1912 by Arturo Fuente, who came from Cuba and was eventually joined in the business by his son, Carlos Fuente, Sr., and then his grandson, Carlos Jr. (Carlito) and granddaughter Cynthia. At various times since the Cuban embargo, the Fuentes had factories in Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and Honduras, often losing everything due to civil unrest. Finally, in 1980, they settled in the Dominican Republic.
Since then, Carlito Fuente has become the persona of the Fuente brand and with his late father, brought back many figurado shapes and introduced innovative blends. Entire rooms in their factories are dedicated to their most famous cigars, including the Don Carlos, Hemingway, and OpusX – a cigar that revolutionized the industry by becoming the first successful all-Dominican puro.
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Announcing the Arturo Fuente Cigar Company
New Arturo Fuente Box Factory
January 17, 2018 marked a historical moment for the oldest family in the Santiago Freezone, as the next generation was asked by Carlito Fuente to break ground at the exact location of the new Arturo Fuente Box Factory. This state of the art 69,000 square foot facility will be the home of many new and exciting projects.
Arturo Fuente Cigars Launch the Dubai Exclusivo During the Mr. Ping Life Cigar World Tour
Our Mr. Ping Life Cigar World Tour has been the platform for many firsts, many cigar anniversaries, many joyful times! Since its inception, the Tour has hosted annual Arturo Fuente cigar events, and our November 2017 one was yet another big hit. The special night, co-hosted with Allied Foods & Trading, Fuente’s distributors in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and S.T. Dupont, was centered around the unveiling of the first ever Dubai Exclusivo, an all-new release from the Carlito Especial Reserva Limitada. As always, our dear friend Carlos Fuente Jr. was the star of the evening, welcoming everyone with positivity and fire for life. Carlito shared deep emotions and thoughts, explaining more about the Dubai Exclusivo and voicing his love for the ‘city of life’.
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Cigar Aficionado’s 2017 Cigar of the Year.
Occasionally, a cigar comes along that is unique in every way—interesting blend, innovative shape, intriguing story—and, at the same time, can still maintain the classic standards of excellence. This is the case with the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark, Cigar Aficionado’s 2017 Cigar of the Year.
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Hublot Debuts Three Classic Fusion Watches In Honor Of Cigar Maker Arturo Fuente
All three breath-taking variants rest on the famed Classic Fusion 45mm case. One of the models basks in King Gold, a unique alloy Hublot has created by combining gold and titanium. Swept in the rare metal, the case is engraved with a drawing of tobacco leaves, while the bezel bears the letter X, the emblem of the Fuente family. The caseback features an illustration that reminds of Guines, the Cuban town where the Fuente family started. “Château de la Fuente” marks the watch, which is available in only 50 pieces.
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2017 Retailer Survey: The Best-selling Cigar Brands In America, Market Trends And More
High Marks for Fuente
Cognac and Cigar Pairing
Don Carlos Personal Reserve gets high rankings
2016 Big Smoke Saturday Seminars—The Next Generation Cigar makers
NOVEMBER 16, 2016 | By Jack Bettridge Cigar Aficionado
“The Next Generation” seminar, from left: editor Gregory Mottola, Raquel Quesada of Quesada Cigars, Liana Fuente of Arturo Fuente, Tony Gomez of La Flor Dominicana and editor Andrew Nagy.
As in life, the one certainty of the cigar business is change. Tastes change, styles change, seed varietals change and, inevitably, so do the people who run the industry. If “The Next Generation” seminar held on Saturday at the Big Smoke Las Vegas is any indication, the cigar world is in good shape as it prepares for the changing of the guard.
Three scions, each heir to family cigar businesses, discussed what it was like to grow up under large presences in the industry with an eye towards replacing them in the future. Panelists included: Liana Fuente, creative marketing director at Arturo Fuente, the daughter to Carlos Fuente Jr.; Tony Gomez, vice president of La Flor Dominicana and son of Litto Gomez; and Raquel Quesada of Quesada Cigars, daughter of Manolo Quesada. Moderating were two members of Cigar Aficionado’s own next generation: senior editor Gregory Mottola and associate editor and website manager Andrew Nagy.
All the panelists related the hard work and weighty responsibility that goes with their positions. “I am very lucky to be here, to follow the tradition, to follow the passion,” said Quesada. “My family has been surrounded by history. Talk about big shoes to follow.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, certain perquisites go with being born into the cigar industry. Quesada spoke of growing up around the factory, playing hide-and-go-seek with her sister Patricia as a small child. As they grew older they held the estimable position of living in the only house in the neighborhood where smoking was allowed…cigars only, of course.
Fuente, whose great-grandfather Arturo founded the company and passed it to her grandfather Carlos Sr. and her father, Carlito, stressed the strong work ethic running through the family. “They wanted us to know what it was like to work,” she said. “There’s no nine-to-five in our business, but it’s sure as hell fun.”
For Gomez, the saturation in the cigar business didn’t start until he was a bit older than the two women. When he was in grade school, his father, who had run a jewelry business, abruptly left it to join an industry he had no background in. The younger Gomez pointed with pride to his father’s tenacity in sticking to his goals in the face of naysayers. “People said it was a crazy idea, but that’s what made him want to do it. He pulled off something that was impossible.”
Gomez, a talented musician, who once had ambitions of working in the film industry, added that he was never pressured to enter the family business. “My father wasn’t pushy about it. He wanted me to do whatever made me happy,” he said. “But when I thought about my future I realized this is a tremendous opportunity. I would be foolish to pass it up.”
Celebrating A Legend: Carlos Fuente Sr.
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Anejo Reserva 46 nabs No.1
Ybor street now bears famous Fuente name
TAMPA (FOX 13) – A man whose name is synonymous with Ybor City cigars was honored by the city today. Mayor Bob Buckhorn unveiled a new street name: Part of Second Avenue will now be known as Carlos Fuente’s Way.
Twenty-five years ago, Tampa’s two oldest family-owned cigar companies merged. The J.C. Newman Cigar Company and the Arturo Fuente Cigar Company became the Fuente and Newman Cigar Company.
“When I saw the sign, I was blown away. I almost started crying,” offered Carlos Fuente. “This is my whole life, Ybor City. There’s nothing like Ybor City and nothing like the United States.”
Casa Cuba – a Carlos Fuente Sr. Original
The Arturo Fuente Casa Cuba was blended by company patriarch Carlos Fuente Sr. His intent was to create a blend that reminded him of the cigars he smoked and rolled in his youth with his father, Arturo Fuente, using Cuban tobacco. The sizes in Casa Cuba are named after Cuban dominoes. Doble Cinco, which is a robusto size, was the most outstanding in the line. Complex and nuanced, the cigar scored 91 points. Read full review here
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