Founders Cigar Co. has announced that it has entered into a fulfillment agreement with Don Doroteo Cigars.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Founders for our fulfillment needs,” said Juan Lugo, co-founder of Don Doroteo, in a press release. “Their operations and efficient capabilities will ensure timely shipment to our customers and fit the warehousing needs we have simultaneously.”

The news comes as Don Doroteo prepares to unveil a new core line called Salt of the Earth at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show, which runs from July 8 – 11.

“We wanted to ensure we were well-positioned to handle the anticipated increase, and the guys at Founders made it easy for us,” Lugo said. “Having a partner we can trust to serve our customers at the level of quality we are receiving is invaluable. Working with Founders has provided us with the peace of mind we need to focus on our core business.”

Prior to this announcement, Don Doroteo’s fulfillment was being handled by Illusione’s fulfillment operation.

For Founders Cigar Co., the announcement about distributing Don Doroteo’s portfolio serves as the launch of a new program that it calls Founders Fulfillment.

“This is such a great opportunity to begin our distributorship with a brand as historied as Juan’s,” said Angelo Fraboni, co-founder of Founders Cigar Co., via a press release. “Having recently expanded our storage and humidor space, we couldn’t be more ready to support a brand as incredible as Don Doroteo. We look forward to growing the fulfillment side of our business and helping to continue serving the cigar community with our new Minneapolis-based fulfillment center.”

Currently, Founders is offering warehousing and fulfillment, while the company is aiming to grow into a sales arm as well, Fabroni told halfwheel. From there, Fabroni said the company wants to be able to offer sales support and growth as a primary function alongside warehousing and fulfillment.

Both companies made their cigar industry debut at the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show.

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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 Major League Baseball, 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.