6. What was your plan in going to Nicaragua?
I had already returned to Nicaragua after my
travels when I went to attend the Nicaraguan Cigar
Festival in January 2014 and returned again in May
of that year with the intention of staying. I wanted
to immerse myself in the world of Nicaraguan
cigars and learn all I could about production
from seed to smoke. I had some friends from the
US who were interested in developing their own
brand of cigars and the plan was for me to look
after the production side of things. I learnt a great
deal about the various tobaccos from around the
world and from the different regions of Nicaragua.
I visited various factories and met some of the
world´s foremost cigar makers who taught me
a great deal about production and blending
tobaccos. One of the companies which I came
across was Mombacho Cigars who I now work for.
7.
And now you are working for Mombacho
Cigars, how did that happen?
Unlike most cigar factories in Nicaragua which
are located in the northern highland region of
Nicaragua, in the town of Esteli, Mombacho
Cigars are based in the beautiful colonial town of
Granada, located on the banks of Lake Cocibolca
(or Lake Nicaragua), the largest lake in Central
America and under the shadow of the Mombacho
Volcano, where the company takes its name from.
I had been down to Granada a number of times
and had visited the Mombacho factory and met
their Master Blender, Claudio Sgroi, an Italian
who gained his tobacco knowledge from Henki
Kelner, whilst working for Davidoff in the
Dominican Republic.
After 6 months of research my partners from the
US decided to put the project on hold. However, I
wanted to remain in Nicaragua.
At that same time, Mombacho were moving into
a new factory and were looking for someone to
work manage the Sales and Marketing side of
their business so I contacted Claudio, was given an
interview and I started working for Mombacho in
November 2014.
I was very attracted to the Mombacho vision
of ´creating the world´s most memorable cigar
experience´ or what we like to call a ´Mombacho
Moment´.
8. What is your role at Mombacho?
The Mombacho cigar factory is housed in Casa
Favilli, a beautiful colonial mansion built in 1925
by renowned Italian architect Mario Favilli. The
factory is unique in Nicaragua and with Granada
being a touristic hotspot, we receive many visitors
to our factory.
I have a number of roles at Mombacho which
include giving factory tours, running the retail
side of the business which is the walk-in-humidor
in our lounge, liaising with hotels, bars and
restaurants which sell our cigars in Granada
and elsewhere in Nicaragua. Developing our
visitor experience alongside tour operators and
developing the brand within Nicaragua, selling
our cigars at cigar shops, organising events etc.
At the same time I am constantly learning about
production and blending, guided by the experience
of Mr Sgroi and our highly experienced team at
Mombacho. I am also currently developing my
cigar rolling skills!
9. And what of the future?
I am very happy at Mombacho and I am