At the invitation of Her Excellency Mrs. Rosa Hernandez de Grullon, one hundred people gathered at the Procigar cocktail event held in the lounges of the Dominican Republic embassy in Paris on Friday night.
For the second consecutive year, and in front of a bigger audience than last year, Procigar’s president, Hendrik Kelner, spoke on behalf of his colleagues from the Association of the Dominican Cigar Manufacturers, to promote the next Procigar Festival that will be held from February 19-24, 2017. Kelner paid tribute to the five centuries of cultural heritage of Dominican tobacco. He also recalled that the Dominican Republic is still the world’s largest exporter, generating USD 620 million worth of revenue and 120,000 direct jobs, which makes cigars the primary source of income for the country. The participants were given a 12-count sample box of cigars filled with the following brands: Davidoff, La Aurora, Cibao, Saga, Arturo Fuente, La Flor Dominicana, Macanudo, EP Carrillo, Quesada, Juan Clemente, Vega Fina, and PDR Cigars. Among those who attended the cocktail evening were: Jérôme Aubert (Davidoff); François Dutreil, Grand Maître of the Confrérie de Jean Nicot; importer Sandro Stroili, who owns the biggest non-Cuban cigar portfolio; Abe Flores (PDR Cigars); and Gérard Clément (Juan Clemente Cigars).
