Fall 2020 PCA Magazine

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG AUTUMN 2020 | PCA The Magazine 21 T H E B L E N D Founder Anthony Bellato is a WSET-certified sommelier, an achievement that gave him a whole new understanding of his own palate. This experience helped propel him on the journey toward the crafting of fine cigars. WilliamVentura in Tamboril, a boutique factory also known for rolling cigars for the Robert Caldwell brand and for Room101. The La Barba Red was born of brainstorming between Bellatto and his business partners Craig Rossi and Robert Caldwell. The cigar’s history bears out a theme that recurs frequently in the cigar world—friends forming partnerships to bring ideas to life. “Craig was a customer of mine,” says Bellatto. “He would come into the store every day and read, and eventually we started to talk about making a cigar that was not just focused “It took us about two years to develop the initial blend. Originally it was made in Miami, and then we switched manufacturing to Honduras, and eventually, in 2014, we moved production to the Dominican Republic, where it is now.” on what was best for the manufacturer but also what is best for the retailer and the consumer. That’s how the idea for La Barba was born.” Meanwhile, Bellatto’s father was friends with Tom Lazuka of Asylum cigars. “At the time, in 2012, Tom and Christian Eiroa were starting a new business after Christian sold Camacho,” Bellatto says. “They had a lot of bold ideas, including a cigar factory in the Wynwood district of Miami, partnering with Robert Caldwell. Tom Lazuka knewmy history with wine and suggested that I travel to Miami to meet and work with Robert on a blend. Rob and I share a lot of similar passions and ideas for entrepreneurship, brand building, marketing and cigars. So eventually Robert and I took a trip to the Dominican Republic together, and that was the birth of Caldwell Cigar Co. and the expansion and re- development of the idea for La Barba.” Bellatto also secured a relationship with just the right kind of factory, an operation that could give personal attention and bring local knowledge to the table concerning farms in the Dominican Republic. Again thanks to friendly contacts, Bellatto found a factory that offered everything he was looking for. Bellatto says, “WilliamVentura and his son Henderson were introduced to us a long time ago through mutual friends.” Like Bellatto and Caldwell, Henderson Ventura had an abiding interest in finding tobaccos that no one