Veteran cigar maker Jochy Blanco’s Tabacalera Palma cigar factory is the hot new thing…after only 88 years! Actually, Blanco and his proprietary brand La Galera have been highly regarded since the line launched in 2016. But though it started out as a small-production, value priced line, La Galera now encompasses five core lines and several limited-run special editions, with MSRPs ranging from $4.90 to $14.69.
Add to that a high-end brand under the name La Instructora, retailing from $10 to $25 dollars; a long-filler, sweet cap brand called Rough Riders, available in five classic vitolas averaging $6.50 per stick; and a pair of mixed-fill lines, Cuban Twist in bundles and Cuban Aristocrat in dress boxes, ranging from $5.53 to $6.66. Not to mention a host of contract production made for some of the biggest brand names on the market. That’s a lot of product covering a variety of strengths, flavors and price points. But it wasn’t always this way for Tabacalera Palma, whose humble beginning dates back to the 19th century.
In the late 1880s, Jose Manuel Blanco Lozada emigrated from his native Spain to the Dominican Republic. As a farmer, he focused on the cultivation of fruit, coffee, cocoa and tobacco. He passed these skills on to his son Jose Arnaldo Blanco, who, along with his wife, Irene Dominguez, raised coffee and cocoa, but was principally committed to growing tobacco, and the tobacco-growing industry.
In 1925 Jose Arnaldo Blanco II established Tabacalera Palma, having acquired the county’s first license to grow tobacco, and in 1936 filed for industrial recognition. The factory reached its potential when Jose Arnaldo III, the aforementioned Jochy, took the reins as CEO in the 1980s. What had been primarily cigar production for local consumption was transformed under Blanco’s direction into tobacco and finished cigars for export.
While successfully producing handmade cigars for Matilde, Aging Room, Kristoff, Villiger, Senorial and numerous others, Blanco wanted to honor the factory workers and the area where they toil with his first house brand, La Galera, the Spanish word for the rolling room. With La Galera’s successful launch, Jochy Blanco became a familiar name to cigar consumers. And now the next generation, Blanco’s sons, CFO Daniel Arnaldo and COO Jose Manuel, according to National Sales Director Ken Mansfield, “run the company’s future, with their father as the guiding light by their side.” Twenty-nine-year-old Daniel runs the company’s finances, while younger brother Jose Manuel, at 24, is becoming the next master bender in the family.
Having apprenticed on tobacco farms for several years, and mastering all aspects of production, Jose Manuel has taken to spearheading production of some of the factory’s newest lines. He paired with his father/mentor to honor the company’s 85th Anniversary, each creating his own version of the celebratory 6 x 52 toro. The elder Blanco selected a Connecticut Shade wrapper, a nod to his own father who preferred the golden leaf, with son Jose Manuel utilizing Connecticut Broadleaf as tribute to his father’s robust tastes. Both interpretations share the same blend of Dominican fillers and binder, all grown on the company’s own farms. The finished cigars, 10 of each version, are presented in a 20-count, humidor-style box, with each bearing an 85th Anniversary sub-band.
When the elder Blanco decided to create his own brand for the U.S. market, he realized he needed to control his own distribution, and subsequently acquired Indianhead Sales. Along with the distribution facility and network, Indianhead provided Blanco with popular, value-priced lines such as Cuban Twist and Rough Rider Sweets. Tabacalera Palma has since taken over production of those lines, incorporating Indianhead brands into their portfolio.
In addition to cigar manufacturing, Tabacalera Palma is one of the largest growers of tobacco in the Dominican Republic, with 550 acres of tobacco farms. They also subsidize 46 tobacco growing cooperatives. Blanco leases the land to these farmers, then purchases their tobacco crops, thus sustaining many family enterprises within the DR. Tabacalera Palma also contributes to the community by employing and training local labor, and supporting various charitable enterprises. In addition to health care benefits, all Tabacalera Palma employees are provided with daily breakfast. The Blanco family is dedicated to giving back to the community and the country that has provided them with so many opportunities to grow their family business.
In looking toward the future, Mansfield emphasizes, “We are in 73 countries. We are bigger outside of the U.S. than we are domestically. And it is our plan to reverse that.” He adds that the company is poised to move into their new, larger factory, allowing for increased production and greater control over all facets of the operation.
Some of the forward-looking projects initiated by Jose Manuel Blanco include creating a Dominican puro by cultivating Mexican San Andrés maduro tobacco on their own farms in the Dominican Republic. He has also initiated the use of organic farming techniques and the incorporation of biodegradable products into their packaging. They use food-grade ink and paper for the cigar bands, and the boxes for the Imperial Jade line are one size for all shapes, utilizing inserts to adjust to the various sizes. Additionally, they will quickly degrade into the earth, reducing environmental impact.
Mansfield is proud to state that Tabacalera Palma will be exhibiting at this year’s PCA Convention and Trade Show in a new, larger 20’ x 30’ booth, positioned at the front of the convention hall. With generations of history behind them, and the new generation’s vision for the future, the company is poised to remain the “hot new thing” for many years to come.
– Photography courtesy of La Galera. Story by Larry Wagner.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 1, 2024. To receive a copy of this magazine you must be a current member of PCA. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.