Cigar Aficionado

Since Honduras declared a lockdown on nonessential businesses like cigar factories due to the Coronavirus, the country’s citizens have only been allowed out of their homes in segments based upon identification numbers. This has made obtaining essential items like food and hygiene products difficult, especially given that Honduras is a developing country where most people can’t accumulate sustainable savings accounts.

In order to help the workers responsible for producing their cigars in Honduras, Alec Bradley is determined to feed 700 families of four throughout a 30-day span. The Raices Cubanas factory, which produces most of Alec Bradley’s brands, is located in Danlí, a lush, mountainous region known for its cigarmaking. Through its connections in the area, the company was able to purchase all staples needed from a local food distributor. This included eggs, rice, corn, beans, oil, sugar, hygiene products and more.

The endeavor demanded a collaborative effort. In order to store the eggs properly, the factory converted its tobacco freezers to coolers, while other staples were delivered and divided into sacks, ready to be picked up. In addition, drivers distributed the needed goods to farmers and box factory workers. As the company also takes care of a local school for underprivileged kids, they dropped off supplies to families of the children and school employees as well.

“Any workers that cannot pick up their supplies, we are making arrangements to deliver the food to them directly. We also have some older workers that have worked for us for years, that are no longer with the factory, that we are trying to take care of as well,” said Alan Rubin, founder of Alec Bradley.

The Alec Bradley brand, whose 2011 Prensado Churchill won Cigar of the Year, began procuring provisions on March 30 and implementing their distribution on April 6. Aid should be provided through the beginning of May.

“I was just giving back and I’m blessed to have been able to do it,” finished Rubin.