Over the last few weeks, cigars from the newly-formed West Tampa Tobacco Co. have begun to arrive at stores in Europe.
West Tampa Tobacco Co. is the new company of Rich Rodriguez and Gus Martinez, both former General Cigar Co. employees. Its two debut lines launched earlier this year in the U.S. and now the cigars are on sale in Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden.
In Belgium, it is distributed by GDV Consult, in Germany by Kleinlagel, in The Netherlands by Small Batch Traders B.V. and in Sweden by Kind Cigar.
“Stijn Elbersen leads our global expansion and we’re very happy that we are available in the mentioned European markets,” said Rodriguez in a press release. “It gives me the opportunity to have my cigars available to the consumers I love and care for. I’m very happy that they are able to taste what I’ve been working hard for lately. Gus, Stijn and myself have chosen these importers as they have the same values as ours; passion for handmade cigars and respect for people. We are confident that they will make the difference, together with us.”
West Tampa Tobacco Co. debuted with two lines—Black and White—earlier this year. Both lines are made at Garmendia Cigars Co. in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Charlie Minato
I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I handle the editing of our written content, the majority of the technical aspects of the site and work with the rest of our staff on content management, business development and more. I’ve lived in most corners of the country and now entering my second stint in Dallas, Texas. I enjoy boxing, headphones, the Le Mans 24-hour, wearing sweatshirts year-round and gyros. echte liebe.
