David Savona Posted: October 8, 2013
The Wynwood Cigar Factory is moving. The small, colorful factory, which presently is located in the Wynwood Art District of Miami, will be folded into the Doral, Florida, headquarters of Fabricas Unidas. The move follows the breakup of founding Wynwood partners Christian Eiroa and Robert Caldwell.
Caldwell left the operation in September, and at the time Eiroa said his leaving would not have “a significant impact” on the operations in Miami.
This week, Eiroa said his plans for Wynwood had changed.
“We're consolidating,” he told Cigar Insider. “The location is not a compatible location.” Eiroa has a host of cigar brands managed under the Fabricas Unidas umbrella. In addition to Wynwood's Factory Fresh Coneja, Rout and Granada, there is also Asylum, CLE and Eiroa.
Eiroa said he planned to continue making the same cigars that Wynwood rolled, but to do it in Doral, where his Fabricas Unidas is headquartered. He said he was in the process of preparing the headquarters to have space for the half-dozen rollers currently working at Wynwood.
Eiroa insisted that the Wynwood concept would continue, even though it's in a new location.
“We'll still keep using that name. The Wynwood project is alive as long as the visas for the rollers is alive.” The six rollers working at Wynwood now are citizens of Honduras.
The Wynwood building has been placed up for sale, but Eiroa said cigars would still be rolled there while he made his preparations in Doral. He estimated that it might take until November or December for the move to be complete.
Source: Cigar Aficionado