Alexander Estrella and Porto Real... Famili Legacy

Raúl Melo

Based on firm ideals around cigars as elements of elegance and social cohesion, Porto Real is a brand established from the tastes and values of Don Enmanuel Estrella, a passionate tobacco enthusiast who instilled in his children Alexander, Mario, and Yanira an entrepreneurial vision centered around a factory and a special blend.

Navigating between film, television, modeling, and the Tobacco World, Alexander Estrella found his path with a clear direction, always understanding that cooperation and forming alliances are crucial to achieving dreams.

AMONG TOBACCO LEAVES

Alexander Estrella is the eldest of three siblings in a family where unity prevails. He was born and raised in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, where, under the guidance of his father, Enmanuel Estrella, and alongside his brother Mario, he has been closely linked to the tobacco tradition of his country since 1994.

Smelling, seeing, and enjoying tobacco has been normal for him since those early years. While a child shouldn’t be surrounded by smokers, the atmosphere this industry represents has been a constant in his life. Among his oldest memories is playing hide and seek with Mario –after school– among the tobacco piles of the factory, where the aromas would impregnate their clothes as evidence of their mischief.

Consequently, their father would reprimand them in some way, sending them to the packing area to make bundles and to the stem-stripping area to devein the leaves. As a result, the brothers grew up with a kind of tobacco education; an experience to which Yanira, the youngest, would later join.

Alexander was raised alongside this serious man, with a great passion for enjoying tobacco, and he understood that a cigar is the complement to a good conversation. Seeing his father smoking was an impressive image, a symbol of elegance and masculinity, which, without reaching rusticity or rigidity, implies a social act in which everyone is welcome.

MOUNTAINS AND STARS

Don Enmanuel Estrella was professionally trained as an Industrial Engineer and for some time worked at the Cervecería Nacional Dominicana. Based on that knowledge and industrial experience, he decided to partner with one of his brothers to found his own factory; in his case, a tobacco factory.

The name of that first venture was Gran Montaña, as it sought to pay homage to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, surrounded by a mountain range in which a particular elevation stands out, the Diego de Ocampo peak, near which the family owned some farms.

Not having sufficient knowledge about tobacco, Don Enmanuel sought advice from different people, as well as from his brothers, while he focused on production, quality, and consistency, making it possible to create a product both for themselves and for others.

During the first years, they worked with raw materials purchased from various external suppliers to conduct blending tests and determine the best harvest areas before venturing into tobacco planting for filler with limited productions.

This brand served as a springboard into the industry and for building relationships. At one point, they collaborated with companies like La Aurora and private labels for the European and United States markets. With the tobacco boom in the 90s, the factory was very successful, but like many other businesses, it also experienced market downturns.

So, Don Enmanuel, although always accompanied by a cigar, had to focus on other things... –Until Alexander recounts–the Estrella family returned to the world of tobacco as producers in the development of raw materials for the wrapper, binder, and filler, as well as shredded tobacco, supplying various factories with machine-made tobacco products.

“This tobacco-loving engineer always believed in the importance of forming good work teams. In this way, he got involved in the harvest throughout the northern area of the Cibao Valley, in an area known as La Línea, but mainly in La Canela.”

Over time, Don Enmanuel set up a new factory in Tamboril, Porto Real Cigar Factory, supported by all the people he had been working with, and began producing Porto Real, a cigar made with the touch of the family. By handling the production of raw materials, cigars, and other tobacco products such as loose leaves and shredded tobacco, the new company name expressed a more global activity.

Don Enmanuel Estrella passed away in 2017, leaving the company in the hands of his offspring, who, despite not having that leader physically, have continued to work hard to carry on the legacy and desires of that wonderful man who “is always present, with that influence of love and respect towards tobacco.”

FAMILY EMBRACE

According to Alexander, Porto Real Cigars was created in 2012 thanks to his father’s desire to have a brand in the market, and the name responded to the nautical theme, which he was also passionate about, as well as his taste for good Port wine (Vinho do Porto).

The label, designed by Mario Estrella –an Architect by profession– symbolizes a family embrace of tobacco with a crown representing Don Enmanuel’s leadership, a man of refined tastes, who is also honored with the word “premium.” Four stars, two on each side of the crown, correspond to his wife, Doña Yadira, as well as to Alexander, Mario, and Yanira, while six coins, two with the image of a lion, are emblematic of strength and unity.

The brand was created under a romantic, classic idea; Don Enmanuel’s vision of what a cigar should be: “He wanted to see someone smoking a Porto Real as something elegant, with that burgundy red ring,” says Alexander, who explains that initially everything was trial and error, ranging from a presentation in a box of eight cigars with a coffee pack, to one of 12 that eventually evolved into boxes of 10 and 20 units, as an established product.

For the Estrella Pichardo family, the goal is to take the brand to another level; a mission that has been accomplished thanks to a combination of forces, passion, and dedication. A path of highs and lows they have traversed, always inspired by their love for their patriarch.

PORTO REAL’S VITOLAS

At Porto Real, blends were created to make the smoker feel comfortable, whether they are expert, intermediate, or novice aficionados.

Porto Real Connecticut (yellow line) is a complex blend of Connecticut Ecuador wrapper, American Connecticut binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler; Porto Real Clásico (red line) contains Habano Ecuador wrapper, Corojo binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler, and Porto Real Maduro (black line) consists of San Andrés Negro Mexico wrapper, Arapiraca Brazil binder, and filler including Ometepe tobacco.

All of them are offered in traditional Robusto and Torpedo formats; a 4.5-inch Gordito, 56 ring gauge, and the brand’s flagship size, the 6-inch Toro, 54 ring gauge. They are presented in boxes of 10 or 20 cigars, with prices ranging from 8 to 15 dollars per unit, depending on the taxes covered by the final point of sale.

ESTRELLA TOBACCO COMPANY

The family company, developed near Santiago, in the Dominican Republic, is dedicated to the cultivation of tobacco not only in the country but also in Ecuador and Nicaragua; its processing, which includes tasks such as fermentation, selection of leaves for filler, binder, and wrapper, as well as the purchase and sale of this raw material.

In addition, its director, Mario Estrella, has been in charge of successfully managing the manufacturing of premium cigars both for their own brand and for private labels, as well as the production of other derived and/or alternative products in the industry. This includes their contribution to the market as suppliers to other recognized companies.

From here, they also coordinate the operation of their factory in Condega, Nicaragua, where the opportunity to expand the company arose, and they established partnerships, allocating the majority of that production to Europe. The family philosophy holds that “one alone cannot do everything, and faced with the needs of both parties, we achieved this alliance of warriors.”

ACTOR AND TOBACCONIST

Alexander began his training in performing arts as a child, without the ambition of one day participating in the tobacco industry, but always guided by his father, who inspired great respect and admiration in him.

At the age of eight, he began his acting studies in the Dominican Republic, and in 2006, he obtained a scholarship that took him to continue his training in New York City, United States. Three years later, already as a professional actor, he embarked on a journey to Madrid, Spain, where, in addition to specialized studies in acting, production, and direction of film and television, he worked simultaneously in the film industry.

Back in the United States, now in Miami, Alexander –who continues his acting career to this day– after participating in various soap operas felt the need to develop another activity that would be compatible and contribute to his lifestyle. So one day he turned to his father, who made him see the opportunity to combine the artistic environment with tobacco.

“Why don’t you start something related to cigars? You are an actor who will represent the brand, and the brand will also represent you. You will be the face , you have the gift of speech, personality, bearing...”, were some of the words, he says, Don Enmanuel told him.

That’s how the actor and model’s career merged with the spokesperson and public image of a cigar brand. “At some point, I was invited to model for car or clothing brands –he continues– and my only condition for accepting was that when wearing a suit, I would have a cigar in my hand. They never said no, and in the end, the cigar added elegance to the picture,”

Gradually, his personal taste developed, and he went from smoking only at events to finding great enjoyment, as he does today, as a result of what he describes as one of the most important experiences of his life: sharing a smoke with his father and brother on the family terrace: “If you asked me for something I’d like to repeat, I would undoubtedly choose that moment with them on any terrace, wherever it

UNITED TABAC

In 2013, Alexander began a new stage in his life within the tobacco industry, with the founding of United Tabac, a “360-degree” company dedicated to the import, export, representation, distribution, and commercialization of tobacco products in general. “We named it that way because of our idea of unity and the desire to contribute to such a demanding industry, which many want to enter,” he explains.

He explains that this business is like a catalog of solutions for those entering the Tobacco World, providing support and accompaniment to brands seeking to reach as many stores and Cigar Lounges as possible. “We also offer professional storage and care services for their products once they’re in the United States, as well as advice, education, and support on any issue requiring a solution.”

But it is not something created overnight as an entrepreneurial idea, but with a lot of desire, dedication, passion, and commitment to work: “The family stamp that defines the Estrella Pichardos”.

THE BRAND’S FUTURE

For Porto Real, the possibilities for growth are endless, traversing different locations of the United States and with plans to conquer the European market in countries such as Spain, Switzerland, Italy, France, Latvia, Germany, Montenegro, and others. But also in Lebanon, Dubai, or Africa and China, where products have already been sent and they hope to make a stronger impact.

The plans also include consolidating themselves in the domestic market of the Dominican Republic, “but beyond just thinking about sales, we also want to contribute to an industry and a lifestyle full of positive energy, education, and good taste.”

So, Porto Real’s North, of the Estrella Pichardo family, is to reach those who smoke with this family seal and give them something that adds to their enjoyment. More than conquering the world, it’s about conquering people; friendships that allow for lasting relationships to be established.

For next September, they are preparing the launch of Estrella Premium Cigars, a brand that will be one hundred percent Dominican, with affordable prices, in Habano and Maduro wrappers, in a Toro format. But there’s also Cinema, a proposal focused on the modern market, the movie and tobacco enthusiast, where characters who smoke project a great personality. Such is the case of Clint Eastwood, or films like Scarface and The Godfather.

This brand will cover lines of different formats and/or special vitolas. “A larger portfolio than Porto Real, with accessible prices and the creativity of cinema,” says Alexander, with reference to his acting career.

TIME IS GOLD

For Alexander, life with Don Enmanuel was always full of learning, and a phrase he constantly heard was: “Time is gold, seize it.” He highlights that a shared taste for everyone was the one for watches, an elegant jewel that always represents something special, such as a reward for a good deal. His father liked them, but he even collects them.

So, along with his brother, the idea arose to create a private line of cigars that would be accompanied by a watch, and what initially would be a family gift turned into a complete product that will soon be part of their regular catalog, under the Enmanuel Estrella line. It consists of a humidor with 30 Corojo wrapper cigars –his father’s favorite tobacco–accompanied by a Grand Seiko in a brown design, special edition Time is Gold, Porto Real

“The color of this watch is to give it a touch of tobacco”, inspired by the one my father frequently used,” complemented by some elements of a symbolic and special nature for the family.

TRUE INHERITANCE

Alexander then describes that home, where Doña Yadira, his mother, has always been a fundamental and unconditional support. In addition to love and empathy with his father, “she has always put on the table that things must be done well, even if it takes time. She has been an inspiration, our reason to move forward, and the origin of our empowerment.”

He also recognizes his brother Mario, the backbone of the company’s development in the Dominican Republic, thanks to his knowledge of tobacco. “We owe him the ability to establish ourselves in a market that is both large and small at the same time, to which we joined to become a consolidated company.”

In the case of Alexander himself, he is the one who promotes and manages the family’s businesses, taking charge of the entrepreneurship of new projects that have started even from scratch, such as United Tabac.

When Yanira joined the equation as a Marketing and Business Administration professional, they managed to implement the necessary order and strategy to present themselves as a complete company both in the Dominican Republic and the United States. “She not only contributes to the aesthetics and marketing of all our products but also to the development and business growth.”

And so, together –just like the elements that appear on the label of their brand–they have been able to shape and increase what could be defined as a true inheritance.