It’s a new year and industry veteran Larry Palombo has a new job. Palombo has joined Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) to help oversee the company’s efforts to enter its own brands into the U.S. market. Palombo started working in the cigar business in 1969 and most recently worked at Altadis U.S.A., where he previously had served as vice-president of tobacco. His most recent role at Altadis U.S.A. saw him responsible for the purchasing tobacco, working on a blend panel and serving as an ambassador for the company’s Montecristo Social Club Roadshow, a nationwide series of events where Palombo educated consumers on tobacco and cigar blending. In addition to his time at Altadis U.S.A., which began in 2005, Palombo spent nine years with U.S. Tobacco and 22 years with General Cigar Co. While NACSA is not particularly well-known in the U.S., it was up until a few years ago the largest factory in Nicaragua in terms of production. But more recently, the company has been shifting to a more premium focus. At the old NACSA factory, bundle brands like J.C. Newman’s Quorum dominated daily production, but in 2011 the Newmans opened their own factory, Puros De Esteli Nicaragua S.A. (PENSA), and began moving production from ...
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