by David P. Diaz

[For more photos of the trip, see the ARGANESE SLIDESHOW]

After decades as a lover of premium cigars, Gene Arganese looked to the warm, temperate climate of the Dominican Republic, and a hotbed of premium cigars, hoping to commission a factory to develop a private label for his own consumption. “I was looking to purchase 500 or so cigars per year for my own personal smoking pleasure,” said Arganese, who is a first-generation Italian American.

What came next was a search that would lead him to talk with numerous people in the industry and walk through many factories in search of the right cigar manufacturing partner. After realizing what little control he would have over his cigars and their blend, and after seeing first-hand the processes in some of the factories, he decided that, if he wanted a great cigar, it was in his best interests to make it himself. So he bought a factory and devoted it to the production of his own exclusive cigars. Gene was so pleased with the quality of cigars coming out of his factory, that he decided to start selling his brand, which has been on sale in retail stores since January 2007.

Gene explains the processes to Mike from CigarLive

Arganese’s original factory, Tabacalera Don Rogue, was a 4,000 square foot facility located in the La Palma free trade zone in the cigarmaking town of Tamboril, Dominican Republic. Arganese acquired the factory in February 2005, but by early 2007 he was already outgrowing the facility.  So, in March of 2007 Arganese found and purchased a factory that used to make cigars primarily for Europe and the Dominican Republic. He gutted the 13,500-square-foot facility, which is also located in Tamboril, and stepped-up his production of cigars. Arganese Dominicana S.A., as the factory is now named, produces over 13,000 cigars a day, all for the Arganese brand. The company currently has over 30 rollers and, when I visited there just three weeks ago, they were building even more rolling stations.

On my trip to Santiago, I had the opportunity to meet Gene Arganese and tour his factory. I also had the chance to sit and smoke some of his cigars and chat with this personable entrepreneur.

Arganese is one of the “new kids on the block” in the cigar world. He found success and nurtured a competitive spirit early in life as a football player and wrestler and later in life as a real-estate developer. Gene is now bringing his personal and business philosophies to bear on creating a successful cigar brand.

Rolling Galley in the New Factory

As I sat with Gene in his conference room overlooking the factory, we smoked some of his fine cigars and talked about his passion for cigars. It was not hard to see Gene’s passion emerging as he talked about making a high quality premium cigar. Recently he hired Master blender Gustavo Peña, who is devoted to the Cuban methods of processing tobacco and making cigars.

Gene is a self-admitted “out-of-the-box” thinker and encourages the same mindset in his employees. He frequently gathers together his trusted “inner circle” of the factory, who sit together and smoke cigars and talk about new ideas until the wee hours of the night and morning.

Gene shared some of his new cigars, that have not yet reached the marketplace, but are due out in March, and, as we smoked, he explained his philosophy of making cigars

Arganese wants to try new things that haven’t been done before. He keeps an open mind about new blends and new processes for making cigars and even for growing tobacco. Currently, he is experimenting with growing Brazilian and Cameroon tobaccos in Ecuador, and is experimenting with new growing methods in his farms in the Dominican Republic.

Gene inspecting cigars in one of the two aging rooms

It’s not hard to get to know Gene Arganese. He is a warm-hearted individual with an infectious enthusiasm for cigars. After 10-minutes with Gene, I felt like we had known each other for years. He is a generous person and displays none of the earmarks of an industry that regularly hides its “secret processes” from the consumer. Gene talked openly about his processes for growing tobacco, fermentation and treatment, and about his ideas for new blends. Though I swore myself to secrecy about his two new blends, at least until they are shipping in March, he told me about them as we smoked them in his conference room. These are exceptional cigars and I think they will be well received in the marketplace when they arrive.

That evening, I was invited to Gene’s house for dinner and tried a variety of new smokes. During dinner, Gene called up his friend and fellow cigar manufacturer Mike Chiusano, who came over with a sack of cigars and we proceeded to mix and match cigars and libation. Chiusano, who has been in the business for 13 years, is a fun-loving and personable character who fills a room with electricity and feels at home with everyone he meets. But, just ask him a question about cigars and you will truly see where his passion lies. He is very knowledgeable about every phase and process in the industry and can talk at length about any subject having to do with cigars and the cigar industry.

My day with Gene Arganese, Mike Chiusano and all the other new friends that I met, was one of the highlights of my stay in the Dominican Republic. I am looking forward to great things coming from Gene Arganese and Arganese Cigars in the very near future.