Arturo Fuente Cigars

It’s a very rare thing in this day and age to find a brand that has endured for a century and maintained its original quality, but that’s the case with Arturo Fuente cigars. Still as carefully made as they were a hundred years ago, the cigars produced by this fourth-generation family-owned business today are as exquisitely crafted and luxurious as they were in 1912.

Embracing the spirit of American entrepreneurship, the Cuban-born Arturo Fuente founded his company in West Tampa, Florida, in 1912. By 1924, he had grown the company to 500 employees who worked in a three-story wooden manufacturing facility. Tragically, a fire burned the building to the ground that year, halting production of the company’s sought-after cigars.

By 1946, the Fuente family had recovered from the catastrophic loss of their original factory. The Great Depression had passed, and the second World War had ended. It was time to start producing fine cigars again. Arturo Fuente and his wife began rolling cigars at their home with a just a few hired helpers, and soon their sons joined the family business as well. Overcoming many obstacles, including the 1962 embargo against Cuba which meant the family had to find alternative suppliers of tobacco and a move to Nicaragua which resulted in another Fuente facility fire during the Nicaraguan Revolution, the company finally found a home in the Dominican Republic, where today it’s estimated that it produces more than 30 million cigars per year.

After a century of hard work and dedication, Arturo Fuente is known today as one of the leading cigar makers in the world. Hearkening back to the days in which it was founded, the company is famous for resurrecting the “figurado” shape, a forgotten Cuban cigar shape that hadn’t been seen for decades. The company also pioneered the first-ever Dominican Puro by growing its own wrapper leaves in Dominican soil. These innovations have helped to build an extremely loyal following for the Arturo Fuente brand. A favorite in the trade press, Arturo Fuente’s superior quality and craftsmanship still make headlines today.

Arturo Fuente cigars are prized for their high quality ingredients and careful preparation. Made from only the finest tobaccos, expertly rolled and aged to perfection, they offer cigar lovers an unparalleled experience. Carlos Fuente Sr. says, “We don’t hurry things. We just do things the way they are supposed to be done.” It sounds like a simple strategy, but it’s paid off for this global brand that celebrates a century of high-quality cigars this year. What the company calls a “burning passion” for cigars still drives them to innovate and try to grow their business in 2012.

Besides being a manufacturer of fine cigars, Arturo Fuente is also a benevolent company, setting aside some of its profits to proudly support the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Fuente family says that they believe “the most important thing in life is giving back.”