Tabacalera Palma

Tabacalera Palma combines tobacco cultivation with the handcrafting of premium cigars, drawing on a family tobacco tradition that began in 1936. Its vertically integrated operation manages seed development, soil preparation, harvesting, curing, processing and final packaging to maintain control over the leaf and finished cigar. The company grows Piloto Cubano, Criollo 98 and Olor Dominicano tobacco across more than 500 acres, supplying its own cigar production and exporting Dominican-grown tobacco internationally. Skilled artisans, including rollers, packaging personnel and supervisors, carry each cigar through a detailed production process and individual quality inspection.

The company operates from the La Palma free trade zone in Tamboril, near Santiago, where its factory has served as the center of operations for nearly three decades. José Arnaldo Blanco III, known as Jochy, developed the business from the early 1980s to produce cigars for the North American market and to expand tobacco exports. Tabacalera Palma also develops private-label cigars for established cigar companies. Its workforce spans agricultural, manufacturing and managerial roles, employs more than 350 people on site, and is predominantly female.