Quesada Cigars To Distribute Matilde Brand
Quesada Cigars, makers of the Quesada Tributo, Quesada Oktoberfest and Fonseca brands, is taking on a new project. Starting June 1, the company will be distributing Matilde cigars.
Matilde is the first independently owned cigar line from José Seijas after he finished his long tenure with Altadis U.S.A. Inc. The brand debuted last year with impressive scores before the Corona earned the No. 19 spot on Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 cigars of 2014 (92 points).
"The Seijas [family has] been dear friends of ours for many years," said Terence Reilly of Quesada Cigars. "They want to focus solely on the promotion and development of Matilde, and the time and effort required for them to operate a warehouse in Miami was preventing them from doing so."
Matildes are made at Tabacalera La Matilde, a small factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Seijas has been in the cigar business for more than 40 years. He ran Altadis's Tabacalera de Garcia, a massive operation (also in La Romana) responsible for high-profile brands such as Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. Now on his own, Matilde is by far a much smaller operation, but one where has complete control.
"Because of our existing relationship, and the fact we share much of the same sales force, they came to us for U.S. distribution," Reilly said.
Called Matilde Renacer, the line comes in four sizes: Robusto, Corona, Grande and Toro Bravo as well as a limited-edition Lancero. They retail from $7.50 to $9.00. See all ratings and tasting notes for Renacer by clicking here.
