After a brief hiatus, Maria Martín has returned to the cigar industry, joining Kuuts, LLC in an operations and sales capacity last week. “We are very happy to have Maria as part of Kuuts, LLC, as she brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to the company and will be a great asset to the company,” John Gonzales, vice president of Kuuts, LLC told halfwheel. Martín is the daughter of famed cigar maker Pedro Martín, who started Tropical Tobacco in 1978. She has held numerous roles in the industry, including serving as president of Tropical Tobacco for 18 years and the national sales manager for Camacho Cigars from 2003 to 2010. In 2011, Martín launched Martín Family of Cigars, a new company featuring a portfolio with six different lines and plans for a seventh. The company ceased operations in June 2013 and the brands were sold to Gurkha, with Martín joining the company in what was described as an ambassador role on her LinkedIn page. She left Gurkha in December 2014, though the company still holds and actively sells the Martín brands and has plans to continue development of them, a company representative told halfwheel in March.
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