Don Duarte is Retiring
Don Duarte is retiring but the Don Duarte brand continues. The founder and owner of the Nicaraguan cigar brand Don Duarte Cigars, Roger Duarte, is retiring. Roger Duarte realizes that to revive a brand you need a lot of effort, travel, and dedication. It’s hard work for a young man, but closing in on 80, it is just too much hassle. But it would also be a shame if the brand would just cease to exist. And in comes Fernando Navarro.
Cigar Conexion
Fernando Navarro is a well-known figure in the cigar industry, mainly in Europe. For more than a decade, he is the agent for several cigar brands. He helps brands to get registration right in Europe and other territories. And he has connections with importers and distributors in several regions.
Amongst the brands, Cigar Conexion is representing are Antigua Esteli, Alfambra, Leonel, Omar Rodriguez, Kaneda, and several more. And now Navarro is also representing Don Duarte cigars, taking away the pressure from Don Roger Duarte. Cigar Conexion is taking care of the day to day operations and will introduce the brand to more international markets.
Navarro is relocating to Managua, Nicaragua. He will be more hands-on when it comes to quality control of Don Duarte cigars to ensure that the quality remains at the current level, or even getting the cigars better.
The future of Don Duarte cigars
We reached out to Fernando Navarro and Cigar Conexion to find out what the plans for the near future are. For the time being, things won’t change Navarro says. The producer, Plasencia Cigars, remains to roll the cigars. The artwork will remain the same for 2021. But after that, Don Duarte is getting a fresher look. Cigar Conexion is working with a designer in Barcelona, Spain to uplift the brand. To make it a little fresher and contemporary. We reviewed the Don Duarte Reserva Robusto in the past.
Navarro assures that his involvement in Don Duarte cigars isn’t any different than with the other brands he represents. His focus remains on uplifting all the brands in his portfolio. And to make them available in as many countries as possible.
