Old World Cigars Meets New World Cigars

In the year 1817, the tobacco craftsman Johann Friedrich Christian Andre’ started his own business producing raw tobacco. Today, the company is managed by Axel Georg Andre’ and is one of the oldest companies in the world to still produce cigars.

In 1903, Don Eduardo Leon Límenes founded the La Aurora manufacture in the Dominican Republic. It is thus the oldest existing cigar factory on the island, which, in turn, is considered to be one of the world’s leading countries in the production of hand-rolled premium cigars. Perfect conditions for a co-operation. For seven years, Arnold Andre’ has been marketing brands like Leon Jimenes and La Aurora in Germany.

But that’s not all. A new milestone in the company’s long history has now been set by Arnold Andre’ with his own factory in the Dominican Republic. In 2009, with the band Carlos Andre’ the traditional company finally launched a premium cigar brand under its own name.

In 2013, the company’s own brand Buena vista was added, likewise originating in the Dominican Republic. Yet another important pillar of Arnold Andre’ is traditionally the field of short fillers. With brands such as Clubmasters, Independence, Handelsgold and Tropenschatz, the company from Bunde went down in the history books.

The Vasco da Gama Rum Cigar is aged with Ron Barcelo rum in the Dominican Republic. This deep rootedness with the island led to the thought of uniting the production processes of short and long fillers.

Following through planning, the enterprise set an ambitious  project in motion. Traditionally, for many decades, the wrappers and binders of the tobacco types Java and Sumatra were cut and rolled on bobbins in Indonesia by numerous international short filler producers – perfect conditions for then having them processed into cigarillos or cigars in the home country by machines.

But Arnold Andre’ had higher,  more rigorous demands: synergies, independence and the employees’ great affinity for tobacco. The solution was found in the Zone Franca in Santiago de los Caballeros, the tobacco capital of the Dominican Republic.

A Herculean act saw over 100 bobbin  machines freighted to the Dominican Republic. Concurrently a cigar factory for long fillers was established. The Arnold Andre’ Dominican SRL was born in Santiago’s zona Franca.

The “Hercules” behind the huge effort of uniting the products, traditions and production methods of the new and old worlds was Arnold Andre’s managing director, Rainer Gohner. Work started at the beginning of 2011, after the company was able to take over a building in quite a chaotic state.

“We first had to give it a thorough clean before we could get started with renovations.

For the reconstruction we looked for an experienced Dominican project manager”.

The company managed to secure Jose’ Leocadio Vasquez, an electric engineer, and it turned out, someone with great organisational skills. In May 2012, the first bobbins filled with wrappers and binders were delivered to Germany. At the same time, Arnold Andre’ set up six machines with which cigarillos made from 100 percent tobacco were manufactured.

That still wasn’t it. Annually the factory produces 260 million cuttings, which are delivered to Germany on the bobbins. From the cuttings that are then processed into cigarillos and cigars. Jose’ Leocadio Vasquez stayed with Arnold Andre’. When his actual work was finished he told me that his job was done.

But I spontaneously asked him whether he wanted to work for Arnold Andre’ Dominicana as a manager. Even though I’m often in their Dominican Republic, we still need a reliable, competent person on site. The cherry on top of Arnold Andre’s great employment coup in the Dominican Republic. 12 tocadores produce the long fillers of the brands Carlos Andre’ and Buena Vista in Santiago by hand. It will be interesting to see what they come up with next.

To find out more about old and new world cigars, please feel free to contact us today at Taylors Tobacconists.