To celebrate his 67th birthday, José Blanco has announced that he will be joining E.P. Carrillo as of Nov. 1 as a senior vice-president with a primary focus on sales. As a result, he is leaving Las Cumbres Tabaco and turning over control of the company to his wife, Emma Viktorsson.

The move comes on the heels of Viktorsson telling halfwheel that she would be relocating to Skopje, Macedonia to focus on growing Las Cumbres’ footprint in Europe, an area she is intimately familiar with due to her previous role as Swedish Match’s marketing manager for eastern Europe, and which she still refers to as her home. Just a few days ago she noted that Blanco would remain in the U.S. to focus on Las Cumbres’ domestic sales and marketing.

Blanco launched Las Cumbres Tabaco early in 2014 and released the company’s first line, Señorial. In the two years since its launch, he has added a number of vitolas as well as a maduro version. Viktorsson has also added her own line as well, with Freyja released as the company’s second line in August 2015. The company had hinted at three new blends being released as well—Señorial CT, Nocturnal and Freyja 12—but they were not on display during the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show and have yet to be seen at retail, or at least announced that they have been released.

Neither Blanco, Viktorsson or E.P. Carrillo have responded to requests for comment about the announcement today, though Blanco told Cigar Aficionado that the move comes as a result of the uncertainty in new regulations being imposed on the cigar industry by FDA. He noted that he will retain a stake in the company, but Viktorsson will hold the majority interest in Las Cumbres.

While the FDA may be to blame for Blanco’s move, it will not shield him from the impact of the new regulations, as E.P. Carrillo was launched in 2009, two years after the Feb. 15, 2007 date that FDA established for products already in the market at that point to apply for an exemption from regulation. All cigars released after that date must apply for approval in order to remain on the market, most likely via the substantial equivalence standard.

Prior to the launch of Las Cumbres, Blanco was a vp at Joya de Nicaragua and the sales director of La Aurora.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.