Gomez y Sanchez Cigars

Don Pedro Gomez was born in 1918, in the province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, at the world known region of Vuelta Abajo, famous for its magnificent cultivation of the country's finest cigars. In the year 1930, at the age of 12, he began working in the fields, planting and harvesting tobacco. Soon he will master the skills and knowledge required for the fermentation and preparation of the raw tobacco leaves. Still only a teenager, he began working at the H.Upmann cigar factory, located in the city of Havana. He later became recognized worldwide for his considerable experience and obtained the position of general manager for several imortant Tobacco companies in throughout the world. His ports of call included only places where fine cigars were produced and savored as he worked to become a master in his own right.

First he went to Spain, working in cigar factories there, and then to the Canary Islands to do the same. The United States was next, and he spent years in Tampa, Florida, where U.S. production was rising thanks to an influx of Cuban experts. From there he went to the Dominican Republic, another stopover where Cubans were planting Havana seed with fine results, and then on to Honduras, where he toiled in Copán and later Danlí. Finally, he moved to lush San Andrés Valley in southern Mexico where, at last, he seems to have found a home as production manager at the Matacapan Tabacos cigar factory, home of Te-Amo and other Mexican brands that are finding an increasing number of loyalists in the United States. Perhaps it's the tropical hills that remind him of his boyhood in Cuba. Or the nearby port of Veracruz, just two hours away by car, where coffee is served strong and sweet, "Cuban style" and where the joyous music in the streets has its roots in the Caribbean and Africa, not the mournful highlands of Mexico. But Gomez, said it's the cigars that do the trick.

"What most distinguishes San Andrés tobacco from the other places I've been is that it has everything", he said. "You don't have to look in other countries for anything. When I was in the Canary Islands, we had tobacco from many places. Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, etc... and we had wrappers from many places as well. It was similar in the Dominican Republic and Honduras. There are only two countries where I have found that you have all the materials you need, all the raw materials for an excellent cigar, only two countries, Cuba and Mexico" While others may dispute his analysis, it is an unassailable fact that Mexico's position in the world of fine, hand-rolled cigars is respected and secure.
The first thing new arrivals notice when they reach the San Andrés Valley, home of Mexico's finest cigar tobacco and the center of Mexico's cigar-export business, is the freshness of the air and the abundance of cool, clear water. Hundreds of rivers and streams crisscross the valley, which is about 4,000 feet higher than the scrublands along the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles away. The valley is much cooler because of the altitude. A few volcanoes tower even higher, and the rich volcanic soil, high in potassium amd nurtures tobacco which has been cultivated in the region since before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.

The natural qualities of San Andrés retain moisture better than other premium tobaccos because of the plant's unusual elasticity. Conditions in Veracruz allow him to create a special blend using Havana-seed tobacco grown in northern Veracruz state with slightly sweeter tobacco grown in the San Andrés Valley to produce a unique cigar.

Pedro F. Gomez, Jr., his son, began working at the tobacco factory known as Partagas in 1960. He also worked in other world renowned cigar factories such as, H.Upmann and La Corona, both located in the city of Havana, Cuba. Mrs. Migdalia Sanchez, his wife, also belongs to the second generation of cigar making in the family. Since her adolescence she began learning how to roll cigars at the Partagas cigar company. She acquired all the knowledge related to the tobacco manufacturing and farming. As a result of her impressive experience, she was allowed to travel and participate in several international exhibitions in Peru, Spain, Chile and many other countries, representing the cuban tobacco industry.

In 1971, Mrs. Migdalia Sanchez was given the Carlos Baliño Medal of Recognition as a sign of gratitude for her extensive career which now extends for more than 40 years, 30 of which are dedicated to the cultivation, and creation of Cuba's finest cigars.
Edel, Joel and Mabel Gomez are the third generation in the family. Combining the knowledge and skills of 2 previous strong generations with a modern twist to the rolling and manufacturing of cigars.

Edel Gomez started working as a cigar roller at the Partagas cigar company at the age of 16 in 1988. He then began working for the H.Upmann company where he was followed by his brother, Joel Gomez in 1990 and his sister, Mabel Gomez in 1992. They all mastered the knowledge from their grandfather, Don Pedro Gomez, their parents, Pedro F. Gomez, Jr. and Migdalia Sanchez. Today the family has taken on a new challenge of reviving the cigar industry, directly from the Valleys of San Andres, Mexico, with a strong family business that is J. GOMEZ Y SANCHEZ.