Deep in the Bonao region of the Dominican Republic—far from the high-end lounges and humidors where premium cigars are celebrated—the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation (CFCF) has become a force for generational change. What started as a simple idea to add a few classrooms for the children of the region has, over more than two decades, evolved into a fully realized vision of change. For the Fuente and Newman families, it’s not a side project or branding exercise; it’s a continuation of their multigenerational commitment to building something that lasts, and to lifting up the people whose hands and heritage shape the industry itself.
This story, of course, begins with the leaf and the determination by Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. and the Arturo Fuente Cigar Co. to find a Dominican soil that could produce cigar wrappers similar to those cultivated on the ground where Fuente’s family originated in Cuba—no small task for people familiar with the challenges of growing tobacco. In the early 1990s Fuente believed he had found it in the lush terra firma of the Cibao Valley in central Dominican Republic. He planted several dozen acres of Corojo Cuban-seed, and the result was the industry-defining Fuente Fuente OpusX, now celebrating 30 years.
But while cigar history and the OpusX mystique were growing across the globe, there was another story beginning to take seed on that same soil.
To say the area lacked modernity was an understatement. “When we arrived, there was no electricity, no clean running water, barely any roads,” says Fuente. “When it rained, you couldn’t get in and out. There were no schools, no law enforcement. It was a very difficult time.”
As the Fuente presence grew in the area, evolving into the Chateau de la Fuente complex, it became more apparent what a disparity of worlds the Arturo Fuente Cigar Co. was balancing.
“I just remember I was visiting Carlito after the cigar boom of the ’90s and we were driving around the property and there were all these kids playing in the street,” recalls Eric Newman of J.C. Newman Cigar Co. “And I asked, why aren’t they in school? And he said there weren’t enough classrooms in the country.”
For two families whose lives had been shaped and blessed by fortune and hard work, and who had founded a partnership decades earlier based on integrity and friendship, the injustice was impossible to ignore. “We were born in the greatest country in the world,” Fuente says. “We know what freedom is, we know what opportunity is. And we know what an education can do.” The solution they envisioned then was modest: “We thought about the idea of building a small classroom to teach basic skills of arithmetic and reading.”
But in a place where needs run deep, small ideas rarely stay small. What began as a single-classroom concept quickly expanded into a vision far larger than anything either family expected. “I’m a cigarmaker. I’m not a social worker. I’m not an educator. All of this came about organically,” Fuente says. “I had no idea it would grow like this, but it’s the greatest thing. It’s my greatest pleasure.”
That pleasure would become a purpose. Rather than patch holes in a system, the Fuente and Newman families built something entirely new—a holistic educational and community-development center that now anchors the region. They planned to help the local government school expand, but the more they learned, the more ambitious they became. “Our initial plan didn’t last long and soon we were making plans to build our own school,” says Newman.
Today, that school stands at the center of the Cigar Family Complex: a vibrant, modern, 23-acre campus offering preschool through high school education to children who once had almost no access at all. But it isn’t just an academic institution. It’s a place pulsing with energy—science labs, music lessons, sports fields, art rooms, organic farming and hallways filled with children speaking multiple languages and imagining futures beyond anything their parents could have dreamed.
The impact has reshaped the community. “This is one of the most impoverished areas in the Dominican Republic. It’s been impoverished for centuries,” Newman says. “And the only way to break that cycle of poverty is through education.” He’s watched that idea take root in real time. “What is really special is a lot of these kids come back. They become teachers. They become nurses. They become leaders. So, it builds from within.” One moment sticks with him: “One student came up to me. He said, ‘Newman,’ … he called me Newman but called Carlito Mr. Fuente. He said, ‘Newman, when I’m old like you and Mr. Fuente, I hope I have the opportunity to give back.’ Except for calling us ‘old,’ we are so proud that these students have learned a lifelong lesson of helping others.”
Indeed, one student in particular highlights the true purpose and success of CFCF. “When I was younger, the only thing I could do, the only thing society offered to us, was working,” said Nelson Suarez Collado in an interview in 2019. “There was no studying. Every young person just worked because school only went up to eighth grade. After this schooling ended, we would all work. I wanted to be in medical school. So many people said, ‘Nelson, you cannot study medicine because this is very difficult, very expensive and you know your father doesn’t work. Your mother works, but she cleans, and this is little money.
“But then the Cigar Family Foundation came—Eric, Carlos. They made this thing possible. When they created Cigar Family, I was very happy because I could continue to study. I knew that my family had no money, but [Eric and Carlos] said I can do it. Every day I studied very hard. I knew that this was my dream. If I would be good at this school, I will have opportunities to go to medical school.”
Which he did. Collado is now on track to becoming just the fifth neurosurgeon in the Dominican Republic. And he’s never forgotten what gave him the opportunity, returning after college to run the medical clinic for several years that CFCF established in 2006.
That spirit of giving back is baked into the foundation’s DNA. From day one, the Fuentes and Newmans made a promise: “Every cent CFCF receives goes directly to the charity. We cover all administrative costs,” Fuente says. In a world where nonprofit overhead can quietly swallow donations, it is a commitment that sets the foundation apart. This philosophy, along with the partnerships that have been established with the local community, earned CFCF the United Nations’ Global Impact Award.
And the work continues to expand. Education was only the beginning. CFCF now provides the healthcare clinic, in addition to installing water filtration systems, vocational training, environmental programs, and community support—all at no cost. The newest project, the Arturo Sandoval Academy for Arts, brings ballet, classical music and performing arts to children who once lacked even basic necessities. Fuente still marvels at it. “Imagine, children who grew up without shoes, on dirt floors, without clean water … They’re now learning how to play classical music. It’s amazing.”
When Newman walks the campus, he sees what that kind of investment really means. “You see smiles on these kids’ faces. They’re so poor but they don’t know they’re poor,” he says. “They’re learning English and French…math and science. We have karate and art and sports. So, we’re educating not just the mind but the whole body, the soul.”
Across decades, industries and continents, the two families have grown accustomed to challenges—from cigar regulations to global market shifts. But the foundation puts everything in perspective. “Sometimes it’s human nature to get caught up in the day-to-day challenges of the business,” Newman says. “But when you go back to the school…and you see these kids thriving, it makes you feel good about what we in the cigar industry, and people who support our project, are doing.”
In the end, both families insist the foundation is larger than their own names. “The name of the foundation doesn’t say Fuente. It doesn’t say Newman. It says Cigar Family,” Newman explains. “It’s anyone—whether you’re a cigar smoker or not—who believes in the spirit of helping others. Indeed, it is largely due to the generosity of so many Cigar Family friends that CFCF has been able to improve the lives of so many people.”
That spirit is visible in every classroom, every clinic visit, every family drinking clean water for the first time. And for Fuente, the mission remains beautifully human. “The main thing is not what each achieves, it is how you show the rest of the world that you could change this world one child at a time,” he says. “And it’s being accomplished every single day.”
To donate to the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, visit cf-cf.org or ask about its annual Toast Across America fundraiser, which is a collaboration between CFCF, retailers and consumers through special cigar packs to raise money for the foundation.
– Photos courtesy of The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation. Story by Greg Girard, managing editor of PCA The Magazine.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 4, 2025. To receive a copy of this magazine, you must be a current PCA member. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.