Josè Orlando Padrón

Padrón Cigars is a privately held company that produces Nicaraguan cigars. Founded in 1964 in Miami, Florida, by Cuba native Jose Orlando Padrón, the company relocated to Esteli, Nicaragua in 1970. Members of the Padrón family exclusively manage the company and control all phases of cigar production.

Born in 1926 in Cuba, Jose Orlando Padrón grew up near the famed tobacco-growing region of Pinar del Rio. After Fidel Castro nationalized the family tobacco farm in 1961, Jose moved first to Spain, then to New York, and then finally to Miami. Once in Florida, he earned $60 US Dollars (USD) per month of United States government aid money given to refugees from Cuba. One day a friend who worked at the refugee aid office, Raul Fernandez, asked if Jose possessed any carpentry skills. When Jose replied in the affirmative, Raul gave him a small hammer as a gift and urged him to use it well.

Jose secured a job as a carpenter. This allowed him to earn enough money to launch his own cigar business. With $600 USD that he saved from his carpentry job, Jose Orlando Padrón opened Padrón Cigars in Miami in 1964. He claims he still owns that hammer.

In 1967, Jose Padrón began using Nicaraguan tobacco after becoming frustrated with Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco, the closest he could find to Cuban-style tobacco in the States. He moved the company to Esteli, Nicaragua in 1970 despite the political unrest in the country at the time. After his factory was burned down during riots, he rebuilt it and also built another factory in Honduras.

Following the takeover by the Sandinistas, Jose returned to Nicaragua where officials assured him there would be no problems at the Padrón Cigars factory. However, the blockade established by President Ronald Reagan posed a new problem. Jose was granted an extension of six months beyond the original five days given to move tobacco and cigars from Nicaragua to Tampa, Florida. Once the blockade was lifted, Jose moved his central operation back to Nicaragua.

Jose and his son, Jorge "George" Padrón, run Padrón Cigars jointly with George as its President. They make three different blends of handmade cigars—the Padrón Series, Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series, and the Padrón 1926 Series—each blend with their own varieties of unique lengths, ring gauge sizes, and flavor points. There is also a wide price range within each blend to cater to a broad audience. Padrón cigars have received many awards and ratings, and rank highly with numerous respected cigar critics and connoisseurs. The famous Padrón 1964 Anniversary blend has garnered more than sixty ratings, from 90 to 95 on a 100-point scale.

At Padron Cigars, the Padron name is not only the brand name it is the family name. It is family honor and tradition that are the foundation upon which Padron Cigars has been built. 

The Padron family has been involved in the tobacco industry since the late 1800s. Damaso Padron, the family patriarch, was born in the Canary Islands and later immigrated to Pinar del Rio, the richest tobacco-growing region of Cuba. There, along with Francisco and his other sons, he began working in the tobacco industry and developed the commitment of producing the best tobacco he possibly could. This commitment of producing the best tobacco is a tradition that has been passed down from one generation of Padron to the next and is the backbone of what Padron Cigars is today. 

Today much has changed but much has stayed the same. Padron Cigars has fully integrated all aspects of the cigar manufacturing process, from planting the tobacco seed to distributing the finished product to cigar retailers. Padron Cigars now has over 600 employees working in our factories in Nicaragua and Honduras and our corporate headquarters, which are still in the same locale in Little Havana where it all started in 1964. Padron Cigars is still a wholly owned family business. Jorge, Orlando, Rodolfo, Lisette and Elizabeth Padron represent a new generation of Padrons working under Jose Orlando Padrons leadership to continue the family legacy. 

Through the years, one thing remains and will remain unchanged  the dedication to making the finest cigars.It all boils down to one simple belief when Padron is on the label, quality is a matter of family honor.