Kafie Trading Co. to Distribute Tabacos San Jerónimo

Kafie Trading Company has reached an agreement to become the exclusive distributor of Tabacos San Jerónimo, an artisanal cigar manufacturer located in Danlí, Honduras.

Dr. Gaby Kafie, who was born in Honduras, came across the brand during travels to the country and learned that the brand has been distributed throughout the Central American premium cigar market for decades.

“What excites me the most about Tabacos San Jerónimo is that they are a piece of Honduran history,” Dr. Kafie said in a press release. “Our family has deep roots in Honduras and it is our great honor to be able to represent this fine artisanal brand of cigars to the U.S. market. We hope it will be well received.”

Tabacos San Jerónimo is owned by Oscar Orlando Ferrera, who has overseen the company’s operations for over 20 years. According to a press release issued by Kafie Trading Co., the brand traces its roots back to 1940 – 1960 in the San Jeronimo valley near Copan, Honduras, which is known for being the site of Mayan ruins. The area is also known for being one of Honduras’ tobacco growing regions.

The brand will make its U.S. debut ahead of the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show with three blends, a Honduran habano natural, Ecuadorian Connecticut and a Honduran habano maduro. Each blend uses a Honduran binder and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua.

Each line will have five vitolas, a robusto (5 x 50, $6.99), toro (6 x 52, $7.99), torpedo (6 1/8 x 52, $7.99), Churchill (7 x 48, $8.49) and gordo (6 x 60, $8.49). The cigars are produced at Tabacalera San Jerónimo in Danlí, with 500 boxes of 20 being produced per blend and per size each year. That means that there will be 2,500 total boxes produced for each of the three blends.

Kafie told halfwheel that the cigars will be available to ship to retailers beginning in the last week of June. The line will also be on display in Kafie Cigars’ booth during the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show in July.

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, the G-League's Valley Suns, 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.