50 TOBACCO BUSINESS | JULY / AUGUST | 22 Between Nicaragua and Honduras, the Plasencias are currently growing tobacco on approximately 5,000 acres. Growing tobacco is one thing, but growing quality tobacco that’s worthy of a premium cigar is another. “Like any other farming activity, we are, to a degree, at the mercy of nature,” José Plasencia explains. “Rain at the ‘wrong’ time of year, not enough rain and hurricanes provide more than enough challenges. Pests canbemore aggressive in some years aswell.” Certain conditions must be present in order for a crop to have the chance to become great. Soil preparation, good weather, proper irrigation, proper fertilization and harvesting in the right way at the right time all contribute to the quality of a tobacco crop. When speaking about the challenges encountered while growing a crop, José Plasencia says that the tobacco used in the company’s Reserva Original line is the most challenging to grow because it requires different processes to ensure the quality and that it’s grown using organic methods. For a normal crop, Broadleaf tobacco can be a challenge to grow because it is the most susceptible to black shank, a disease that can destroy an entire crop if not properly managed. Sustainability isn’t a word you hear a lot associated with tobacco growing, but it’s an important initiative within Plasencia. Concentrating its efforts onmaintaining thequality of the soil its tobacco grows in, as well as its water resources, is the “secret” to what sets Plasencia’s tobacco apart from others in the industry. “We want to ensure that the future Plasencia generations have rich soils, which will enable them to continue working in this beautiful industry and have the ability to continue producing high-quality cigars,” José Plasencia explains. Plasencia also incorporates earthworm castings as a way to replenish the soil. Tobacco grows very fast, and as the Plasencias have analyzed the soil the tobacco is grown in each year, they’ve noticed that the nutrients in the soil were on a downward track. “Instituting the organic castings reversed the downward trend, and the soil recovers much faster following the harvest and soil preparation. This leads to ahigher yieldof production,” José Plasencia explains. As the soil becomes richer, so does Plasencia’s tobacco crops. Another sustainable practice the Plasencias have implemented is a drip fertigation system. With this system, the Plasencias are able to fertilize and irrigate their crops at the same time. They’ve been able to fine tune both the amount of water and the amount of fertilizer given to each plant. This maximizes the crop’s yield while conserving the company’s resources. According to the company, it has been able to reduce water consumption by 50 percent and has increased its yield by approximately 25 percent using this method. “Webelieve thatbyapplyingall of thesedifferent techniquesof conservation and improvement of natural resources, thequalityof our tobacco is enhanced, and as a result, so is the quality of our cigars,” he says. “It is amazing what the earth can give when you take good care of it.” Another important factor in determining the potential quality of a tobacco crop is one of the most important parts of tobacco growing: making sure there’s a good team tending to the crops and handling the tobaccos that have been harvested each year. TheVertical IntegrationAdvantage One of the most common issues encountered on the factory level is concerning employee retention. This issue is made even more complicated due to the fact that the Plasencias own multiple factories, each of which has its own staffing needs. The Plasencias address this issue of retention by providing things that other cigar factories do not. These include amenities such as child development centers, health clinics, and training programs that help employees grow professionally and personally. Since implementing these different initiatives within its factories, the Plasencias have seen a substantial improvement in employee retention. Employee retention and making its factories a place where people will want to work is an ongoing area of concentration for the family. When including Plasencia’s tobacco processing and cigar manufacturing operations in both Nicaragua and Honduras, the company has 5,500 people working in its factories. Tobacco continues to be the Plasencia family’s livelihood, and it has been for several generations. Cigars are how the family expresses their loveandappreciation for tobacco.Whilesomemanufacturers simply grow tobacco and others make cigars or distribute and ship them, At Plasencia, the company’s employees come first, and their needs are prioritized within the business. Each employee’s strength is identified and supported to ensure the company’s operations are all optimized and that its products are top quality.
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