Nicaragua Cigar Industry Cancels Puro Sabor 2021 Festival
The 2021 edition of Puro Sabor, Nicaragua’s largest premium cigar celebration, has been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, the country’s cigar manufacturer’s and tobacco growers plan to host a series of virtual factory tours and master classes.
“Our priority is the care we want to give to our people in the factories and to the people who would have visited us for the festival. The evolution of Covid-19 is still unpredictable, so we believe we have made the best decision," said Claudio Sgroi, president of Mombacho Cigars S.A. as well as the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco.
Made up of 28 members, the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco was formed in 2008 and is the group that organizes and hosts the Puro Sabor event. With the cancellation of the 2019 Puro Sabor due to civil unrest in the country, this now marks the second time in three years that Nicaragua’s largest tobacco celebration was called off.
Earlier this year, the eighth Puro Sabor took place without any major complications, as roughly 120 attendees from 21 countries converged on the Central American country that has emerged as the top cigar producer in the world. According to the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco, the country’s premium tobacco industry employs roughly 40,000 people.
