Over the last few years, Altadis U.S.A. and General Cigar Co., the two largest premium cigar companies in the U.S., have contracted Abdel Fernández to produce new cigars for some of their Cuban-founded brands such as H. Upmann, Hoyo de Monterrey, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, now his company will get a chance to distribute one of them.
According to Cigar Aficionado, A.J. Fernández, the company, will now be making and distributing Ramon Allones.
The company will make two blends—a Habano Oscuro and Sumatra—though details remain scarce. There will be four box-pressed sizes for the Habano Oscuro line and five sizes for the Sumatra.
Unlike the aforementioned Cuban labels, A.J. Fernández will be distributing Ramon Allones instead of General Cigar Co., which owns the trademark for the U.S. market.
Emails sent to A.J. Fernández and General Cigar Co. were not returned.
This is the third different look for the brand and the third different group of people that will sell Ramon Allones in as many years. It was long a secondary brand within the General portfolio. In 2015, the company refreshed the brand and moved it into the Foundry portfolio, which meant it was sold by a newly assembled team of brokers, which General disbanded earlier this year.
The new A.J. Fernández-made Ramon Allones are expected to go on sale in January, sold by A.J. Fernández’s salesforce.
While General owns the U.S. trademark, Ramón Allones is sold internationally as a Cuban brand, whose trademark is owned by Habanos, which is partially owned by Imperial Brands, plc, which also owns Altadis U.S.A.