Arturo Fuente

There are very few names in the New World cigar industry – perhaps only that of Zino Davidoff – which carry as much weight as Arturo Fuente.  For over 100 years this family business has been crafting world-class cigars to ship around the globe, and the reputation they have built is impeccable.  Today the company is overseen by Arturo’s grandson, Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr., and his great-granddaughter, Liana Fuente.  This strong familial connection to tobacco, and passion for fine cigars the 2 share, is a defining factor in making Arturo Fuente one of the greatest cigar brands on the planet.

While the modern incarnation of Arturo Fuente may ship upwards of 30,000,000 cigars each year, the beginnings of this magnificent brand are humble and rooted in Cuba.  Arturo Fuente was born just outside Havana in 1887.  His travels brough him to Tampa, Florida by 1910, where he settled and began to build a life with his wife, Doña Hilda Fuente.  In 1912 he started the company which still bears his name, rolling cigars by hand in a factory in Tampa, using tobacco imported from his native Cuba.  After just 2 short years, disaster struck: the factory was destroyed by fire and production ground to a halt.  Arturo refused to give up on his dream, rolling cigars in his kitchen and selling them through the neighbourhood to maintain his business’ presence in the market.

If Arturo’s self-belief and sheer will were what allowed his company to stay alive in those early days, it was the courage and innovation of his son, Carlos Fuente Sr., which allowed it to flourish in the subsequent years.  Carlos began enacting practices never before employed by cigar businesses, such as consigning sticks on credit to retailers, and grew the brand through Florida and into the lucrative New York City market.  This success came at a price, with the whole family pitching in to ensure demand for their cigars was met, but allowed the name of Fuente to become more and more established in the market.  In 1962, Carlos’ courage came to the fore again, as the effects of global politics began to change the cigar industry for ever.

Carlos Fuente was visiting family in Cuba when rumours began to fly around of an impending trade embargo by the United States. He decided to gamble on these rumours being true, buying Cuban tobacco at any farm he could get to and building up a 3-year stockpile.  As El Bloqueo began to wreak havoc on other companies suddenly finding themselves short of raw materials, Arturo Fuente & Company were thriving.  Thousands of dollars were offered for a share in the supply of Cuban tobacco, but Carlos held firm – using the time he had bought the company to establish the name Fuente as being a sign of quality and craftsmanship.  That association remains strong today.

The reputation Carlos built was invaluable in 1966, when the family released their first cigar to be handmade with non-Cuban tobacco – the Flor de Orlando.  Customers were happy to take the leap with Fuente as they trusted the name so much, and sales were strong.  The 1970’s began with Carlos experimenting in the field of tobacco production, growing crops in Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Mexico.  Factories were established at the beginning of the decade in Honduras and Nicaragua; Nicaragua’s own revolution and an “accidental” fire in Honduras meant they were closed by the end of the decade.

If the 1970s had seen turmoil and pain – Arturo himself passed away in 1973, though his own blend of tobacco was used to create the Flor Fina 8-5-8 in 1975 to honour him – the 1980s saw a return to good fortune for the Fuente family.  Factories were established in Dominican Republic which saw production resume to a level which met demand, and the Hemingway line was launched, reviving the figurado format and becoming a top-seller.  Carlito Fuente became the third generation of the family to take a role in running the business and began to stamp his own ideas on its legacy.

Carlito’s major success was in overseeing the successful growth of Dominican wrapper leaves and allowing the company to produce its first Dominican puro – the Fuente Fuente OpusX.  These full-bodied cigars quickly became hunted by aficionados and are now regarded as the Fuente gold standard.  The OpusX line is known throughout the world, instantly recognisable thanks to its elaborate band and a sure sign of quality.

The centenary of this venerable New World cigar brand was marked in 2012.  Rather than rest on the laurels of such an impressive history in the industry, the family continued to push forward.  Quality tobacco, craftsmanship and investing the proper amount of time to get things right are their pillars, and today’s 4^th-generation Fuentes pay close attention to all three in order to safeguard the good name which was so passionately established.

Innovation and expansion are still key to Carlito and Liana’s plans for the future of Fuente.  A return to Nicaragua in 2018, with the establishment of a factory in Esteli as well as an expansion of the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation to cover Nicaragua along with Dominican Republic, allows for greater production and a new range of flavours to be added to the offering.  The latest new collection, Rare Pinks, was released in 2020 as an homage to all things 1960s.  An impressive partnership with Hublot goes from strength to strength, demonstrating the power of the Fuente name as a sign of quality and luxury.

Whatever the next 100 years have in store for the Fuente family, and however the next generation of Fuentes choose to develop the brand, one thing will always be certain: cigars which carry their name will be unsurpassed for quality and flavour.  While many may attempt to imitate them, none will quite match up to the standards developed over the years.  Only Fuente is Fuente.