2019 Awards: Company of the Year

Last year, we had a 3-way tie for this prize. This year, some of us wondered whether it made sense to give the recognition. As previously mentioned, 2019 has been a problematic year for the cigar industry. Most companies, especially after the elimination of a select group of small and new companies, had a down year, especially financially. Yet this is not the price of the best financial performance. We've also had trouble finding companies that have done the things that have helped win this award in previous years. It's hard to point to just one company having a breakout year in 2019. It's not easy to point to a single company producing cigars clearly above the rest of the industry. It's still hard to find a candidate for most improved, another way we've determined who gets this recognition. There were only seven companies nominated for this recognition, and it ended up being extremely close among three companies.

COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2019 - ARTURO FUENTE

Over the past four years, Arturo Fuente has led the industry's most aggressive modernization campaign. Its main factory in the Dominican Republic has been renovated, new buildings are being constructed in its Chateau de la Fuente tobacco field, the company is buying more fields in Nicaragua, there are plans for an ornate factory in Estelí, a box factory - perhaps the largest in the Western world - is due to open soon, and the company has built a new bonded warehouse in Tampa. Most of these things didn't happen in 2019, but Arturo Fuente Construction Co.has been as active as any in the cigar industry, and 2019 was no exception. Beyond buildings, Fuente has rethought its international distribution with the launch of Arturo Fuente International. Perhaps most importantly, the company has made massive commitments to supply these markets with product. There are new partnerships with companies like Stefano Ricci, and new developments in partnerships with its long-standing partners: Newmans and Meerapfels. Perhaps most interestingly, 2020 could be Fuente's biggest year yet: it marks the 25th anniversary of OpusX and the 20th anniversary of Añejo. If there's one metric where Fuente clearly stands above everyone else, it's popularity on halfwheel in 2019. If we focus solely on articles we write about a singular company or a singular cigar, i.e. without legislation or editorial, half of the 10 most read articles about a singular company were about Fuente. So, while there's no singular metric or moment that crowns our winner, Fuente's work was as good as any in 2019. Honorable mentions: AGANORSA Leaf & RoMa Craft Tobac. Original article by : Charlie Minato