Updated with social media dispatches from both Henderson Ventura and Adventura Cigars.
Early this morning, a fire of as of yet unknown origins begin raging in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. In an industrial free zone home to the factories of other storied cigar makers, just one building would be affected. The facility that Tabacalera William Ventura and Intercigar S.A. shared is now in ruins. Thankfully, based on reporting coming out of the area, there appears to be no loss of life or even injuries. The Ventura family made cigars for their own ADVentura lines in addition to brands like Room101, Caldwell, and J. London. Readers may best know Intercigar S.A. for making German Engeering’s RVGN Rauchvergnügen. Combined, these factories were responsible for making millions of cigars every year for some of the most recognizable names in the industry. In addition to an image showing the fire’s proximity to the nearby PDR factory, Cigar Public has also been provided with video recorded during the fire as more firefighting equipment and personnel were arriving:
Before much was known publicly, the level of devastation was shown briefly in videos shared by Hunter Marosits of Sir Louis Cigars – who has also set up a GoFundMe for the the Ventura family and for Intercigar. The true impact is still being understood, just one brand alone reports that somewhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 of their cigars were destroyed along with every band and box. Spread across the dozens of brands impacted, the total losses could be market altering. The Ventura’s nearby experimental factory, El Maestro, will take on as much production as it has the capacity to while other options are explored.
In a public message via Adventura Cigars citing a strong inventory abroad, Henderson Ventura added that “I’m a factory owner. I’m a blender. I am a father, and I am a son and have many responsibilities to my family, however, right now my focus is our clients and the consumers. Much love and respect to everyone, and THANK YOU for your patience with us during this difficult time.”
This is a developing situation, as more information becomes available we will share it.