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My grandfather, Silvio Perdomo, was the first to instill his pride and passion for making cigars in me at a very early age. For over twenty years, my grandfather worked at the H. Upmann Cigar Factory in Cuba, eventually becoming a grade seven master torcedero (roller), meaning he was one of the best of the best. He passed on his skills to my father, Nick Perdomo, Sr., who also achieved master roller status. My father also gained an extraordinary amount of knowledge in the art of blending tobaccos.
I would spend many a day and night watching my father and grandfather make cigars for themselves. It was fascinating to watch these two artists at work. It seemed so simple to me, yet, when I first tried to do it myself, I realized that this was a skill that would not be easy to master. My father told me my cigars looked like I was rolling "old sweat socks." Once I was old enough to smoke their cigars myself, I further developed not only an interest in making cigars, but in making them accessible to everyone. My father and grandfather both wanted me to make another career choice, so I joined the United States Navy. After I was honorably discharged, I went to work for the Federal Government as an Air Traffic Controller in Miami, Florida. Despite working in this field however, I never lost my love for cigars.
My passion for cigar making far outweighed my passion for air traffic control, so I decided to go against my father's wishes. I decided to start producing cigars for the public. My wife Janine was my first employee. Along with seven rollers and my wife, and with the guidance of my father and grandfather, I produced 9,700 cigars my first year. I would work at making cigars in the day, and then work as a controller at night. It was extremely difficult. I did this for five years.
I was not extremely successful in the beginning, but I loved cigars and cigar making. So, with my wife and father's support, I opened Nick's Cigar Co. in 1990 and resigned my position as a controller. I knew of only one way to make cigars, and that's the Cuban way. I used this philosophy to help me produce my cigars. As my company grew, additional members of my family came on board to help out. My Vice-President, Michael Argenti, is my brother-in-law. Fortunately for me, he is not only my brother-in-law, he has tremendous knowledge of cigars and the cigar industry, and he has been an integral part of our growth in the industry. My mother Mary became the office manager, and my father became the general manager of our factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, where our cigars are currently being manufactured. My brother Billy has also come on board as our Director of Marketing. As you can see, when you buy a Perdomo cigar, you are buying a cigar that we have invested our lives in, and we take great pride in making the finest cigars in the world.
We are now among the largest and most progressive manufacturers of premium, hand-made cigars in the world. We manufacture four of the top 50 best-selling brands in the United States, including the La Tradición Cabinet Series, Dos Rios, Perdomo Reserve and Perdomo2. We have been recognized by Cigar Insider, the official newsletter of Cigar Aficionado magazine, as the manufacturer of 8 of the top 25 cigar brands in the world. The European Cigar Journal has recognized the Perdomo Reserve cigar collection as the Cigar of the Year, and Smoke Magazine Online selected me as the “Hottest Manufacturer” of 1999.
I want to thank all of you for making my family's dreams come true.
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