A non-profit cigar distributor
A non-profit cigar distributor. Cigar charities, quite a good number of cigar brands run or support a charity program. And there are a few distributors that either support or started charities as well. They are giving back to the community. Some are open about it, raising awareness while trying to raise funds. Others do it on the low as they are afraid it is seen as marketing.
We give the actions of distributors, brands, and organizations a spotlight. The cigar industry needs positive stories, and we need to get the word out to the general public and politicians that there is no other industry that gives back to the community as much as the cigar industry does. Today’s special is about a fundraiser for mental health awareness in New Zealand
La Casa del Tabaco
La Casa del Tabaco is the premium handmade cigar division for the Spanish tobacco distributor Gesinta. Gesinta is a family-owned company from the Zapata family. La Casa del Tabaco. La Casa del Tabaco is responsible for the distribution of several brands in Spain. Oliva, Perdomo, EP Carrillo, My Father, Tatuaje, Santa Clara, Arturo Fuente, and J.C. Newman are amongst the brands they distribute. They are also the people behind the Condega and Kraken brands, Nicaraguan cigars made by Aganorsa Leaf. Where Aganorsa Leaf has the rights for the brand in the United States, La Casa del Tabaco is responsible for the international markets. And they are doing a killer job, with huge sales in Europe and an expanding reach in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Condega, the one of the brands under the La Casa del Tabaco umbrella
One of the grandchildren of company founder Ramon Zapata has a disability. That made him think. He knew that his grandchild would never have to worry about anything as the family is wealthy enough to take care of all the needs. But not all people with disabilities are that lucky. So Zapata made a gracious call. He decided that all the profits of La Casa del Tabaco would go to charity. The bread & butter of Gesinta is in the non-premium tobacco and accessories, but La Casa del Tabaco is making serious coin and those funds help a lot of people in need.
For a few years, the Zapata family even ran their own charity. They hired someone with a disability to run the charity. But that resulted in high overhead costs and less money to donate to the people in need. So nowadays the Zapata family doesn’t run a separate charity organization anymore, instead, they donate all the profits of La Casa del Tabaco to several charities, in Spain, and in Nicaragua. The organizations that La Casa del Tabaco supports specialize in education and helping people with disabilities. Turning La Casa del Tabaco into a huge fundraiser for good causes is a very generous gesture by the Zapata family and we applaud them for it.
Header photo by Katt Yukawa on Unsplash
