Every year we recognize a company who had a very successful year and stands out amongst the crowd. As I have said before, one has to remember that this is not and should not, be solely based on product performance. I think that should be taken into consideration as it reflect how well the company is operating at its core purpose. Last year, this award went to J.C. Newman Cigar Company.
This year, this award goes to Altadis U.S.A for a few reasons. The first being the products did perform well, and some of the products that were introduced not only performed well but were promoted well. Altadis USA had two milestones this year with the Romeo y Julietta 150th Anniversary and the Montecristo 90th anniversary they made sure each had their moment.
In addition, they faced some serious challenges when a fire at the AJ Fernandez factory in Nicaragua impacted some of their cigars. Rafeal Nodal was down helping out his friend AJ getting things back on track and getting the ship back on the waters with the sails up heading in the right direction, showing that they are a team unit that can work together with others to get the job done and tried to minimize consumer impact.
2026 is looking like a potential great year for Altadis USA, only time will tell if it is, but I wish them the best of luck and congratulate them on having a strong 2025.
