Tobacco Business

[ 28 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ MARCH / APRIL | 21 ] Nestor Andrés used a mix of both traditional methods and tools with the knowledge he had learned from earning his degree. Earthworm casting was used for fertilizer, and he opted for organic pesticide and garlic to keep unwanted insects away from the tobacco and a fungus named Trichoderma to prevent root disease. To remove nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil, velvet beans were grown between the tobacco crops. “With the organic tobacco project, it was a lot of trial and error, but in the end we were able to achieve it,” he says. “Best of all is that we continue to learn from it today. That will always be our attitude—of constantly continuing to learn to improve.” Many years of trial and error have helped Nestor Andrés hone his cigar blending skills since that organ- ic cigar project. While working alongside others in the farm and factories, Nestor Andrés has come to under- stand a great deal about tobacco that has helped him become a better blender. Knowing the land where the tobacco is grown, knowing how tobacco has been har- vested, and knowing how long the tobacco has undergone fermentation and aging are all factors that give him a unique understanding of tobaccos and how to blend them together to make a good cigar. He’s quick to point out that all of the blends he’s worked on have been a team effort and are the result of the many talented individ- uals working within the Plasencia family’s company. Growing Lessons Heads of companies all start their days differently. For Nestor Andrés, his day typically starts very early and involves him using that extra time to figure out how to better use his time. Sometimes he chooses to dedicate more time to the factories as he tries to figure out how he and the Plasencia team can work together better. He also spends a lot of time trying to figure out how he and the team can improve as human beings—a lofty but important goal that he knows can be achieved through the growing of tobacco and making of quality cigars. “My intention is never to serve as a model,” he says. “We can help companies be more successful by showing them how investing in staff and in the communities where we operate is a great business decision. Your staff will be more committed, and in the end their products will be of better quality, which helps the business in the short and long term. Being born in Estelí and seeing what the industry has achieved to improve the lives of the city’s inhabitants fills me with great satisfaction, but there is still much to do.” When it comes to his job and responsibilities, what Nestor Andrés enjoys the most is the time he gets to spend on the farms, which he says is where his heart is and where the real magic happens. “It is impossible to make an excellent-quality cigar if you do not have excellent-quality tobacco in the beginning,” he explains. Alma Fuerte is a unique blend of the Plasencia family's best aged tobaccos that give the cigar a bold, vibrant and intense flavor.