There’s a new president of the Nicaraguan Association of Tobacco Producers, and it’s the head of one of the companies most closely associated with the country.

Juan Ignacío Martínez, the executive president of Joya de Nicaragua, was announced as the organization’s new head during the recent Puro Sabor festival.

Martinez becomes the second president of Asociación Nicaragüense De Tabacaleros, succeeding Nestor Andrés Plasencia, who had led the group for the past five years and helped grow its membership to 15 tobacco producers, including My Father Cigars, A.J. Fernandez, Drew Estate, Joya de Nicaragua, Padrón, PENSA, Tabacalera Oliva, ASP, NACSA, Tabacalera Tavicusa and Tabacos de Nicaragua, Procenicsa and Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

Martínez was named executive president of Joya de Nicaragua in August 2013.

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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.