Mornings at Procigar begin with buses, badges and itineraries that connect 1,000 people from 40-plus countries to the soul contained within the fertile Dominican soil. By afternoon, you’re taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the fields and factories that produce the country’s premium tobacco while learning from legends of the craft.
And nights? Well, they’re straight out of Jay Gatsby’s dreams: music, glamour, fine linens, incredible food and the unmistakable sense that you’ve stepped into a deep tradition worth returning to year after year.
For 18 years, the Procigar Festival has been giving retailers and aficionados a peek into what it takes to grow, cure and blend the most beloved premium cigars coming from the Dominican Republic.
From seed to cigar, in real time
The week’s design is deceptively simple: Learn by day, celebrate by night. But the effect is cumulative. The factory and farm tours show visitors how premium cigars are made and provide evidence of why the word “premium” still carries weight when it’s earned.
For Teresa Wessling, PCA board member and tobacconist at Georgetown Tobacco in Washington, D.C., the education was the point and the proof. “Procigar was an incredible experience, from beginning to end,” she said. “With seamless logistics, outstanding education by day and amazing events each night, attending Procigar should be a must for anyone passionate about the industry.”
Visitors had the option of touring their choice of two among La Flor Dominicana, Davidoff, General Cigar, Chateau de la Fuente, De Los Reyes, Casa Carillo, Quesada Cigars and PDR, La Aurora, Tabacalera A. Fuente, and Tabacalera Palma, Home of La Galera Cigars. On tours of the Davidoff and Fuente factories, Wessling watched the process unfold from seed to finished cigar and came away with a sharper sense of what separates the iconic from the merely good.
“We got a first-hand education in what it takes to create a great premium cigar from seed to cigar,” she said. “And great insight into what differentiates these iconic manufacturers,” she added. “Seeing it in person changes the way the story lands. The details become sensory: the rhythm of a working floor, the quiet intensity of quality control, the pride that comes through in small gestures. Later, when a customer asks why a cigar matters, you answer from memory rather than marketing.”
The nights that turn strangers into regulars
While the days belong to craft, the nights belong to connection. The festival opened with a Warm Up Party that did what the best openers do: It made everyone feel like they had arrived at the same time.
The following evening’s Welcome Dinner carried a different kind of weight. Dominican President Luis Abinader Corona attended, a reminder that this industry is cultural and economic, strategic, and deeply tied to the country’s global identity.
And then there’s the White Dinner Party, the week’s most anticipated social ritual. Guests dressed in their most impressive white outfits, fireworks lit up the sky over Santiago’s capitol building, and the entertainment was top notch. The vibe had so much energy that even Litto Gomez, president of Procigar, was seen on the dance floor showing off his moves.
“The famous White Party was a real standout, with fireworks that lit up Santiago,” Wessling said. “The Dominican hospitality was so warm and inviting, everywhere we went.”
The gala where craftsmanship becomes generosity
The festival’s emotional center of gravity is the Gala Dinner and the Procigar Humidor Auction, a moment where artistry, status and philanthropy collide in the best possible way.
The evening opened with a creative audiovisual production featuring Procigar member companies, a playful storyline that ultimately guided the Master of Ceremonies to the stage to kick off a celebration of Latin Caribbean culture worthy of Broadway. Gomez then took the stage to share the purpose of gathering the world’s cigar aficionados and emphasized that the week was more than a showcase of world-class cigars.
“This extraordinary week has allowed us to celebrate not only exceptional premium cigars, but also the friendship, culture, tradition and shared passion that unite us,” Gomez said.
After honoring Víctor (Ito) Bisonó, former Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, for his support of the tobacco sector, the auction began. This year’s Humidor Auction raised $618,188, including added special contributions, thanks in large part to the enthusiasm auctioneer Michael Herklotz generated.
The lots included exclusive creations donated by member companies and pulled bids that read like headlines: $150,000 for Les Chanes de LAmour by Tabacalera Fuente, $51,000 for Espejo de Litto by La Flor Dominicana, $46,000 for Mar Victoria Palma by Tabacalera Palma. And that’s just the start. There were 12 lots up for auction that evening.
The bidders weren’t simply bidding on beautifully crafted humidors and rare cigars, they were contributing to the industry’s charitable institutions, including Voluntariado Jess con Los Nios, Hospicio San Vicente de Pal and other nonprofits focused on health care, social assistance and community development in the Dominican Republic.
Procigar’s philanthropic work extends beyond this night and includes its flagship initiative, A Home for My Family, which supports safe, dignified housing for employees of member factories. In an industry built on skilled hands and generational knowledge, it’s a way of saying the craft matters, and so do the people behind it.
The night closed with a vivid, high-energy DJ set that got guests out of their seats and onto the dance floor. Later in the evening, everyone headed back to their hotels buzzing, already narrating the week to one another like it had happened years ago.
Valuable for retailers and consumers alike
Wessling, who had visited the Dominican Republic before but attended Procigar for the first time this year, described the experience as a reset in perspective.
“It was amazing for me to see this through the eyes of our customers,” she said. “Everyone was equally impressed, and already looking forward to next year.”
The value of the event for retailers, she explained, is that Procigar sends people home with context they can use. In a market where consumers want the story behind every product, that context becomes a competitive advantage.
“Being able to share what you’ve experienced in person versus what you’ve read or seen online is night and day,” Wessling said. “I only wish I’d started attending years ago.”
For details on the annual Procigar festival, visit procigar.org/procigar-festival.
– Story by Lesley Nickus. Photos courtesy of Procigar.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 2, 2026. To receive a copy of this magazine, you must be a current PCA member. Join or renew today.