Cigar Families

The art of growing tobacco and leaves and rolling cigars has been around for thousands of years. The knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation. A father gives his son his first stick as a passage into manhood and acceptance or they teach their daughter how to roll or smoke a fine crafted stick. Families have been hand rolling and producing some of the finest smokes and the business and industry has become a family one. A lot of sticks you see are named after the families and sell the most in the industry. Here are some famous cigar families.

A well known brand and family is the Fuente family who makes Arturo Fuente cigars. The company is run by grandson, Carlos Fuente Jr. and his two daughters. The family has been making hand rolled sticks since 1916. Arturo grew up in Cuba and learned how to cultivate tobacco with his father. He then learned how to hand roll and immigrated to Florida to roll sticks in America. He continued to produce the finest of cigars. His son Carlos followed suit and lived in the cigar factory with his parents. He was literally born into the industry and learned from his father. He then passed on his knowledge to his son Carlos Jr. Carlos Sr. moved the family to the Dominican Republic where they have a famous tobacco plantation where the best tobacco and leaves are cultivated.

One of the oldest American cigar families is the Newman Family. J.C. Newman started hand rolling cigars in 1895 and the brand has had continued success. His mother paid him to be an apprentice and learn all about the industry in Chicago. He hand rolled sticks for another company until he was laid off, and then his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and started his own company. J.C.’s story is truly one of the American Dream. He was an immigrant who started and maintained one of the most successful American cigar companies. His two sons joined the business after serving time in the military. Their sons also entered the business, so three generations of Newman men were running the operation.

Years down the road after the two companies had their own success; the Newman and Fuente families joined forces and produced top selling premium cigars. The Newmans have also bought and sold other cigar names; yet work closely with the Fuentes. Not only do both families hand roll some of the best sticks, they also share their success with a charitable organization they founded. They founded the Cigar Family to showcase their talents and the charity is called the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation.