If you shop at brick-and-mortar tobacconists, you’re almost certain in contact with loads of Eduardo Fernández’s tobacco whether you like it or not. One of the most prolific growers of premium cigar tobacco in Nicaragua, Eduardo came into the cigar business by an unconventional path.

His agricultural conglomerate, AGANORSA, includes his tobacco growing operation and his cigar manufacturing business. The AGANORSA factory, which has been known until now as Tabacos Valle de Jalapa, or TABSA, makes cigars for Eduardo’s own Casa Fernandez brand, as well as JFR, Foundation, Illusione, Warped, Viaje, and HVC.

Eduardo sat down with me for an interview not too long ago at his factory. We talked about his past ventures, how he built his tobacco empire, and what he sees in the factory’s future.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/