Oscar Valladares

Until 2011, Oscar worked for one of the cigar industry's heavyweights, Rocky Patel. "When I visited Danlí for the first time 15 years ago, I didn't even smoke cigars," admits Oscar, who at the time was transporting visitors for Rocky all over Honduras. "But I immediately fell in love with the wonderful process of making cigars. I realised how special it was to smoke a cigar, because so much individual work goes into it," he recalls. He began to think about how he could be part of the process. Rocky Patel, seeing Oscar's thirst for knowledge and passion for cigars, offered him a full-time position in quality control. Shortly afterwards, as an independent entrepreneur, Oscar managed the distribution of Rocky Patel Premium cigars in South America. But the experience was short-lived: for a variety of reasons, the business didn't prosper, and Oscar was left with a mountain of debt. However, what seemed like the end marked a new beginning for him.