Cigar birthdays in September
Cigar birthdays in September. Like every month we celebrate some of the people in the cigar industry. If we miss anybody on our calendar, please let us know and we will add him or her. Here are the birthdays for September
The birthdays
September 1: Danny Vasquez. Well, since Danny parted with RoMa Craft last week, he’s officially no longer in the cigar industry. But we aren’t that heartless and we still wish Danny a happy birthday. Danny folded The Voyage cigars due to pending FDA regulations, but with those of the tables and his departure from RoMa Craft, we hope we see the return of The Voyage.
September 2: Patricia Quesada. Another well-known face in the cigar industry that is no longer in the industry. Patricia is the daughter of Manolo Quesada and together with her sister Raquel, she was the face of the company. Patricia handled the international sales, but last year she decided to pursue other dreams.
September 6: Tony Bellatto. The man behind La Barba cigars, and the partner of Robert Caldwell in Lost & Found Cigars. La Barba is a small boutique brand made at Tabacalera Ventura in the Dominican Republic.
September 10: Kerr Viajante. Viajante means the traveler. And Kerr traveled for work. In his spare time, he visited cigar lounges where he earned the Viajante nickname. But as a person, he traveled from being a cigar enthusiast to a vlogger. Every week, Viajante broadcasts a new Stogie Roads episode on social media. And from that, he started Stogie Roads Cigars.
September 12: Abe Flores. One of the rising stars in the cigar industry is creating an empire from Tamboril. A decade ago, nobody knew about PDR and Flores y Rodriguez. Now it’s a household name for many cigar smokers around the world. PDR has a strong foothold in both Europe and the USA.
September 12: Raquel Quesada. The second daughter of Manolo Quesada who followed his footsteps. Raquel is still working in the family business, maintaining the Quesada legacy.
September 14: Mitchell Orchant. A well-known name in the world of the Habanos. Orchant is the managing director of C.Gars Ltd. And he tied his name to the Orchant Seleccion, where he handpicks certain boxes from Cuba to be sold with his seal of approval. Each year, New World cigars are created under the Orchant Seleccion as well, exclusively for C.Gars Ltd.
September 22: Glen Case. The owner and founder of Kristoff Cigars. Usually, we can congratulate Glen in person at Intertabac, but due to the covid-19 pandemic, it has to be a virtual ‘happy birthday’ this year.
September 28: Courtney Smith. If there is a recurring theme this month, it’s birthdays from people who left the industry. Danny Vasquez, Patricia Quesada, and Courtney belong to that group too. Her last job was at Cornelius & Anthony, but when that company fired all employees, Smith decided to try early retirement. But who knows, the tobacco industry is like a magnet, or like the mafia “just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in”. Hopefully, someone pulls Courtney back in so we can hang out at Intertabac again.
