Roundtable: The Next Wave of Cigarmaking

Posted: July 1, 1999

CA Online: We're almost out of time, so let's just go around the table and have each of you talk about the challenges that you face going forward. Also, where do you see yourselves in, say, 2005?

Padron: I'm a product of the cigar industry. I've been around it my whole life. For me, following in the footsteps of my father is going to be a very difficult thing to do. I have a college education, but that doesn't mean anything in the cigar industry. The way I look at it, the biggest challenges that I have are continuing what he has established and trying to maintain the integrity of our brand. And, hopefully, throughout the next couple of years I will be able to acquire as much knowledge as my father.

I don't really plan to make any changes to our brand. The foundation is there. The most important thing is to learn, as Litto mentioned, the people skills that it takes to handle both manufacturing and distribution. And learning more about the tobacco--learning the process and making sure that I know exactly what it takes to make cigars that are as good as the cigars we are making today.

CA Online: Will you be spending more time in Central America? You seem comfortable with the distribution side, but you seem to want to learn more about the manufacturing side. Will your role change at all?

Padron: I strongly believe that my future, personally, is in the manufacturing end of the business. People often ask me what it takes to make a great cigar. You just can't answer that question. There are so many things it takes to make a great cigar, and it starts at the beginning--picking the right seed.

Let me tell you, a lot of what you learn in the cigar business is learned through experience and experimentation. You've got to burn a lot of leaves. You've got to undergo a learning curve. Fortunately, I'm lucky. With my father, I have someone to look up to who knows every aspect of this business, and what it takes to make an excellent cigar. I have to follow in his footsteps and, hopefully, I'll be able to maintain what he's already established.

As far as where I see our company in the next couple of years, I hope to be able to continue the growth--what I call the controlled growth--that we've undergone up till now, while maintaining, as always, the philosophy that to maintain the integrity of our brand, we have to maintain the integrity of our products. That's the only thing that will take this company to another level in terms of cigar sales. We won't necessarily work toward production goals, but rather quality goals. If we make four million cigars this year, which is more or less what we expect, we won't say, "Well next year, we're going to make five million." What we are going to try to do is make, next year, four million of the same quality as we did this year, and maybe a little bit more if we can. And if we can, great. And if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

Next: Wynne, Borhani and Gomez wrap it up