96 TOBACCO BUSINESS | MAY / JUNE | 22 Rodriguez joined General Cigar Company in January 2000 as a sales representative in Florida. In 2005, he was invited by Edgar Cullman Sr. to participate in a rigorous cigar master training program. It was through his programand training that Rodriguez became deeply rooted in the cigar making process and learned how to blend from some of the leading figures of the handmade cigar category, including Benji Menendez, Daniel Nuñez and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. After years of studying, Rodriguez joined the blending team of La Gloria Cubana in 2008 following the departure of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and the sale of the La Gloria Cubana brand to General Cigar. In 2009, STG completed the acquisition of CAO, and Rodriguez took on the position of blender and ambassador of CAO. For 13 years, Rodriguez has led the blending development process of CAO and has worked closely with CAO’s Nicaraguan team. During this time, CAO’s cigars earned high ratings and accolades for releases like Pilón, Flathead, the Amazon Basin Series, Session, Bones and many others. Some of the brand’s latest releases have also earned accolades and garnered media attention thanks in part to a combination of unique tobaccos, processing methods and interesting packaging. In a press release, Rodriguez issued the following statement: “This job has been a dream come true for me, and so much of it seems like fate. From the moment Edgar Cullman Sr. offered me the job to study under the company’s cigar masters, I knew how lucky I was. When I write my life story, and maybe now I will, my time in the cigar business will be a huge part of that story. Looking back, I still to this day ask, ‘Why me?’ Now, as I get ready to step down, I’m able to answer my own question. Thank God it was me. “Twenty-two years is a long time. It would be too hard for me to list every person by name that has supported me in my career, but what I can do is say thank you to Niels Frederiksen, Régis Broersma, Benji Menendez, Daniel Nuñez, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, every CAO fan, every shop owner and store employee, and everybody I’ve had the honor to work with throughout my time at General Cigar and STG. Thank you so much. For everything.” Régis Broersma, senior vice president of STG’s North America Branded and Rest of World divisions and president of General Cigar added, “Rick brought a lot to the party; he was a terrific blender with a great palate. The word ‘passion’ gets overused in this category, yet with Rick, it fits. He loved his work. He loved being around people, sharing his passion for CAO, and he loved to tell a story. While we’ll miss working with Rick, he’ll always be part of the STG family.” Rodriguez’s last day with STG was on April 29, 2022. TB R COMI NGS AND GO I NGS RICK RODRIGUEZ RETIRES FROMSTG Rick Rodriguez, the blender and ambassador of Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s (STG) CAO brand, has retired from the company after more than 20 years. Photography courtesy of STG
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