Alejandro Robaina
Don Alejandro Robaina ( born March 20, 1919 in Alquizar, Cuba, † April 17, 2010 in San Luis ) was a well known and successful Cuban tobacco planters.
In the third generation, he continued the plantation in the Cuban province of Pinar del Río in 1845 founded by his ancestors, 16 ha. Also known as the Vuelta Abajo Valley is considered one of the best quality areas for growing tobacco worldwide.
After the revolution he persuaded Fidel Castro, not compulsorily to nationalize growing tobacco. Alejandro Robaina commented: " At a meeting with Comandante Fidel, I explained that we wanted to run it yourself on tobacco production. He has probably seen, because immediately after he has divided the country among us. This initiative is based on my belief that the tobacco production works well only in the family. " From this meeting a life-long personal friendship with Fidel Castro, Alejandro Robaina who gave some small privileges developed.
The proportion of difficult to be generated cover sheets to the total harvest is exceptionally high. He is about 80 %, while other plantations on average only reach about 35%. Due to its merits him the Vegas Robaina brand was introduced in honor of 1997. Probably the Cuban sales organization " Habanos SA " wanted to benefit from the already then high in professional circles awareness Robainas and its excellent reputation as a tobacco specialist. Robaina was repeatedly quoted as saying that his cover sheets are not always part of the Vegas Robaina.
Despite his age Alejandro Robaina developed new blends of tobacco and cigars. For personal use, special cigars were made from tobaccos on his own property. Alejandro Robaina lived in a small country house in the center of his plantation and traveled as an ambassador of Cuban cigars around the world. Since the beginning of 2004 is Robainas grandson Hiroshi growing tobacco.