The story of Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel begins at secondary school. These two New York ‘frat bros’, who are passionate about Nicaragua and fine cigars, began their adventure in the cigar world by running a small kiosk in town.

Two years later, Jonathan moved to Estelí with just a few dollars in his pocket and a smattering of Spanish. He hired a few torcedors to roll the first cigars. Meanwhile, Samel continued to run the New York shop and borrowed money from anyone willing to believe in them.

It was a long and winding road until the opening in 2007 of La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, rolling over 90,000 cigars every day.