Rodriguez Cigars (in the Florida Keys) celebrates 40 years sustaining industry

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Rodriguez Cigars celebrates 40 years sustaining industry

RON COOKE - Keys Citizen

Rodriguez Cigar Factory marked their 40th anniversary with a celebration in Kino Plaza on Friday, Dec. 13. Family, friends and, of course, cigar aficionados gathered to fete the booming business on a crisp December night filled with music, food, libations and the chance to catch up with friends and family.

Now the oldest cigar manufacturer in the Florida Keys, Angel and Daniella Rodriguez started the business in 1984 at the current location of 113 Fitzpatrick St. It has become a family tradition now operated by grandson Danny DiFabio.

“Angel and Daniella Rodriguez began crafting cigars here. My grandfather was producing the filler and my grandmother putting the wrap around the cigars, which they did for many years,” said DiFabio, who initially had no intention of taking over a cigar business. “I went to pursue a degree in business. I did not know it was going to take me into cigars. I really wanted to get into medical device sales and pharmaceutical sales. My family has a background in medicine, so it was like a route to take. But after college it did not work out. This pulled me in, somehow. I can’t explain. It just kind of grabbed me and said, ‘Hey, stick around for a little bit.’”

The Rodriguez family had four children that grew up with the business. DiFabio’s mother, Juana DiFabio, was one of the three girls — Petra Sanchez and Mayra Bethel — and their brother was Angel Rodriguez.

DiFabio took ownership of the business in 2009, but did not know much about his family history until he started asking questions.

“My grandmother had humble beginnings with her family on the tobacco farm in Cuba. Cigar making has been in my family for a long time,” explained DiFabio who was born in 1984. “I just did not know a lot about my family’s history. When I started asking questions then I had a different perspective about this industry. I think that’s where the love started.”

Although their highly-popular product makes the business go and grow, DiFabio said the bottom line is the people that work in the cigar industry.

“Making the sales and growth is important. Our employees and the people that work for us have a good gig. They can afford a nice life here. That is kind of like the most important thing I look at,” explained DiFabio. “We have four people here in Key West and have a crew in Nicaragua producing this brand. In addition to Nicaragua, we get our tobacco from Honduras, Dominican Republic, Ecuador. They are the four primary countries.”

DiFabio worked with designer Tim Dooley to turn Rodriguez Cigar Factory into a showcase in anticipation for this day in their history.

“We designed every inch of the shop, talked about functionally and about how we can present this industry,” DiFabio said about working with Dooley. “It’s been tough the last couple months. We lost my grandmother (Daniella Rodriguez) in October in the middle of this renovation. It’s been bittersweet. I think behind the cries there will be a lot of smiles.”

Source: https://www.keysnews.com/business/rodriguez-cigars-celebrates-40-years-sustaining-industry/article_7037c6ba-bd46-11ef-8f95-8be638a1a8f9.html