Rolando Reyes, Sr.

Infobox Person
name=Rolando Reyes, Sr.


image_size=150px
caption=Photo copyright ©2005 Reyes Family Cigars, Inc.
birth_date=1924
birth_place=Zulueta, nr. Remedios, Las Villas Province, now in Villa Clara Province, Cuba
dead=alive
death_date=
death_place=
occupation=Cigar Maker: Master blender & roller; businessman
spouse=Zeida ( ) Reyes
parents=
children=son Rolando Reyes, Jr.; dau. Oneida Reyes-Diez; dau. Seida Reyes

Don Rolando Reyes, Sr. is a well-known Honduran cigar maker of Cuban origin now residing in Danlí, Honduras. He is a master blender and roller and the creator of Cuba Aliados, Puros Indios and other cigar brands. Don Rolando is widely known throughout the cigar industry for his unusual work habits: he works at night when everyone else has gone home, inspecting the day's production. He is married and has two children: a son, Rolando Reyes, Jr., and two daughters, Oneida Reyes-Diez and Seida Reyes.

Early Life

Rolando Reyes was born in 1924 into a large family of fourteen (seven boys and seven girls, [http://www.reyesfamilycigars.com/History/default.aspx Reyes Family Cigar company history] ] in Zulueta, Las Villas Province, Cuba (now in Villa Clara Province). His father owned a trucking business, but unlike his siblings, he wished to become a "tabacalero", a tobacconist. At the age of nine (9) years, Rolando was apprenticed to Silvio Santana of the Tabacalera Pequeña in Zulueta, where he was taught all aspects of cigar making.Savona, David. [http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,1755,00.html A Conversation With Rolando Reyes, Sr.] Cigar Aficionado online, Jan/Feb 2006. Last accessed 7 May 2008] He went to school at 8 in the morning until noon, and then worked in the factory from 1 (1300 hrs) in the afternoon until 9 at night (2100 hrs).Savona, David. [http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Daily/CA_Weekly_Wrapper/0,2331,472,00.html "Checking Out of the Motel"] . Cigar Aficionado online, 22 June 2002. Last accessed 30 April 2008] After two years at Tabacalera Pequeña, [http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,682,00.html Cigar Kings. The Rolando Reyes Family Relies on Time and Traditional Techniques to Make Cuba Aliados Cigars.] Cigar Aficionado online, Winter 1995.] he left there to work in the Aquilar factory in nearby Remedios for a while.

Developing a Career in the Cigar Industry

In 1938, at the age of 14, he went to work at the José L. Piedra Cigar Factory in Guanajay, Pinar del Rio Province, but later moved to Havana, Cuba to begin work at the H. Upmann factory. After leaving Upmann, he went to work in various factories, including José Gener,, Partagàs, Romeo y Julieta and then he worked for the Batet Cigar Co. It was in these factories that he learned to roll both the parejo (straight-sided) cigars. He learned to roll more complex and difficult figurados (shaped cigars), such as "pyramides" at the Josè Gener factory. He was able also to master the technique of rolling cigars without a mold and other techniques as well., He was later the first to offer the complex "diadema" (a figurado) to the U. S. market.

triking Out on His Own

In 1945, barely 21 years of age, Rolando moved to Placetas, Las Villas province, and established his own factory, Los Aliados. After a few years, he moved his factory to Havana where he operated successfuly until 1968 when the Communist government of Fidel Castro confiscated his "Los Aliados" trademark, his factory and his personal belongings. At the time of the takeover, the factory was turning out 6 million hand-made cigars for the domestic market. The new government assigned him to work in the El Rey del Mundo cigar factory, but he refused and so was sent to work in the rice fields where he worked until he was able to emigrate to the United States.

tarting Anew

In 1971, Rolando Reyes, Sr., was able to emigrate to the United States, arriving first in Miami, Florida. A short time later, with a $500.00 loan from his brother, he re-located his family to Jersey City, New Jersey and opened a small cigar shop. He worked in clothing factory during the day (knitting) to earn extra money to support his family and rolled cigars for sale in his shop in the evenings. The Jersey City location soon proved to be too small, so in 1973, he built a combination house/factory in Union City and moved his family and cigar production there and changed the name of his cigar to "Cuba Aliados". The company still has offices at this location.

The newly re-christened cigar was picked up by a national distributor (Cigars by Santa Clara) and in order to keep up with the increased demand, in 1978, Sr. Reyes began production of Cuba Aliados in the Dominican Republic. Not satisfied with the quality of the resultant cigars, he closed his Dominican operation and opened a new factory and store in Miami, Florida in 1984, and cigar production continued in both Union City and Miami until all production was moved to Honduras.

The Advent of Puros Indios

The success of the Cuba Aliados brand was not without its bumps. A new brand, Puros Indios, was introduced in late 1995 while Sr. Reyes and his company was involved in a dispute with the distributor, and shortly thereafter, a lawsuit was filed by the distributor against Cuba Aliados Cigars Savona, David. [http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Daily/CA_Daily_News/0,2342,322,00.html "The Return of Cuba Aliados", Cigar Aficionado online, 22 Nov. (ca. 2000)] . Last accessed 05/09/2008] which resulted in the removal of that brand from the market for several years, leaving the company with only the new brand, Puros Indios, which was successful. In February of 1996, Sr. Reyes formed a new company, Puros Indios Cigars, Inc., [ [http://www.sunbiz.org/pdf/CH000214.pdf Florida Secretary of State filings] ] which took over the production and distribution of the Puros Indios brand. The dispute and lawsuit also resulted in a permanent rift between father and son, and Rolando Reyes, Jr., departed and went out on his own.The suit was settled in late 1999, with the distribution rights to Cuba Aliados returned to Cigars by Santa Clara and Sr. Reyes' company, Puros Indios Cigars, Inc., retaining the distribution rights to the Puros Indios brand, thus returning Cuba Aliados cigars to the stores. In 2004, the distribution rights to the Cuba Aliados brand were regained by Sr. Reyes, once again giving him full control of all his brands. [ [http://www.smokeshopmag.com/0405/brand2.htm "Cuba Aliados Cigars Now Feature Corojo Wrapper"] , Brand News, Smokeshop Magazine online, April 2004. Last accessed 05/09/2008]

Honduras

A visit to Honduras convinced Sr. Reyes to move most of his operations there, and the move to Danlí, Honduras, was completed in 1989. The factory was an old building that had originally been a twelve room motel.Marsh, Mike. [http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Daily/CA_Daily_News/0,2342,31,00.html "Puros Indios Opens New Factory"] , Cigar Aficionado online, 22 July 2002. Last accessed 4/30/2008] This factory was in use for fourteen years. It eventually proved too small, and so a new, fully modern factory was built on the outskirts of Danlĺ and opened in 2002. The old factory continues to serve as a box factory and as an aging facility for finished cigars.

The new Puros Indios factory allowed for an immediate increase in production to three times what the old factory could produce, turning out 30,000 cigars per day. The rolling room, with room for 160 rollers, occupies the entire bottom floor. The second floor consists of 15 bulk tobacco storage rooms, seven cedar-lined aging rooms and three walk-in freezers for killing tobacco pests such as the Tobacco Beetle.

The factory sits on a five acre plot of land adjacent to the Reyes residence and farm, where Don Rolando grows food for himself and his family. He also often shares the output from this farm with his workers. Even at his advanced age (he turned 84 in 2007), Don Rolando works in the factory. Even though he works during the day, he also works after everyone else has gone home and he has the factory to himself, usually starting at 10 PM (2200 hrs) and often working to 5 o'clock (0500 hrs) the following morning. He prefers this time to because it makes it easier to work without interruption. He inspects the day's production and if a roller is not making cigars up to standards, Don Rolando will leave the roller a note cautioning them to improve.

Changes

In late 2007, Don Rolando announced that he was promoting his grandson, Carlos E. Diez, to company president in his place. After many years doing business as Puros Indios Cigars, Inc., the new president changed the company name to [http://www.reyesfamilycigars.com Reyes Family Cigars, Inc.] , introduced a new corporate logo and cigar art and added three new lines under the "Reyes Family Cigar" brand among other changes.Savona, David. "Puros Indios Changes Name, Will Cut Sizes". Cigar Insider, Vol. 12, No. 23, 4 Dec 2007, pg. 6.] [http://www.cigarweekly.com/magazine/cigarticles/11-30-2007/puros-indios-becomes-reyes-family-cigar "Puros Indios Becomes Reyes Family Cigar"] CigarWeekly.com 30 Nov 2007. Last accessed 5/12/2008.,]

References