New Zealand’s cigar merchant Canteros, the country’s sole importer and retailer of new-world cigars, has received its first official Rocky Patel Cigars shipment direct from the cigar maker in Central America. Previously Grant Ovenden’s Canteros operation used US-based wholesalers for Rocky Patel Cigars stock.
Facing restricted retailing conditions and high taxes makes Canteros’ first delivery of 140 boxes of Rocky Patel Cigars an achievement. The 140 box-shipment represents the breadth and width of Rocky Patel Cigars, featuring over 12 lines including the Cigar Smoking World Championship cigar, the Vintage 2003 Cameroon, The Edge Corojo, Connecticut, Habano (Nicaragua) and Maduro, and Liberation by Hamlet.
“For some industries 2020 turned into the boom-times and I am excited to share that this was no exception at Canteros New Zealand. We ended 2020 with triple-digit growth for the year and December set all new records in terms of sales, order volume and importation of product,” said Ovenden.
Ovenden also shares that construction is advancing well on Canteros’ new 2,500 sq. foot purpose-built distribution center in Christchurch, New Zealand. “We have signed-off on the Spanish cedar kitset and humidification system to fit out our 300 sq. foot walk-in humidor that will be the heart of our operations,” said Ovenden. “This will allow us to increase on-hand cigar inventory significantly this year and ensure we can keep a continual supply of core cigar lines.” The distribution center is scheduled to open in March 2021.
CANTEROS Limited – New Zealand’s Premium Cigar Distributor