An Arturo Fuente Timeline to help you understand the History behind the Greatness
I've been researching various Arturo Fuente Family & Cigar History and thought it was a good idea to share with you an abbreviated timeline of events the occurred from 1887-present. I'll go deeper into several of these events in upcoming blog posts, but for now here is the general background. If you'd like to see more information regarding a certain part of the history, please comment on the blog and let me know. If I've missed something (which I'm sure I have) please send me an email... jjwilliamsfive@gmail.com
1887-Arturo Fuente Born in Cuba.
1906-Arturo Fuente moved to Key West, Florida.
1910-Arturo Fuente 22 years old, Marries Doña Hilda and moves to West Tampa.
1912-Arturo Fuente founded A. Fuente & Company on 813 Francis Street, West Tampa making handmade cigars with Cuban Tobacco.
1922-A. Fuente & Company reaches 500 employees.
1924-Fire burned the factory down while Arturo was in Cuba buying tobacco. He divorces Doña Hilda and spent the next 22 years working as a general manager.
1930-Arturo Fuente marries Cristina Trujillo and moved to 14th Street and 20th Avenue, Ybor City, Florida.
1931-Arturo Oscar Fuente is born.
1935-Carlos Arturo Fuente is born.
1947-At age 12, Carlos Arturo Fuente contracted Polio and recovered.
1940-Arturo Fuente making cigars in the back of the family house. Arturo Oscar and Carlos Arturo roll 50 cigars a day after school.
1947-At age 12, Carlos Arturo Fuente contracted Polio and recovered.
1950-During the late 40's and early 50's Carlos Arturo Fuente takes job working as a baker to help make ends meet while moonlighting at A. Fuente making cigars.
1953- Carlos Arturo Fuente marries Anna Lopez. Anna Lopez was a roller at Cuesta Rey Factory. Carlos Arturo Fuente was selling A. Fuente Cigars.
1954-Carlito Fuente is born. (Cynthia and Richard Fuente Born.. not sure on dates)
1956- Arturo Fuente retires and Carlos Arturo Fuente buys $1.00 share from his brother Arturo Oscar Fuente and becomes the sole owner of A. Fuente & Company owning $1,161 in assets and zero debt.
1960-Carlos Arturo Fuente purchases 2 Story Building in Ybor City and sets up Miami and New York to sell Fuente Cigars.
1962-Shortly after Cuban Revolution Carlos Arturo Fuente, buys 3 years worth of cuban tobacco and later that year the Cuban Embargo began.
1965-Carlos Arturo Fuente Purchases The Charles the Great Building on 22nd Street in Ybor City. It was built in 1895.
1966-Flor De Orlando cigars was released by A. Fuente and Company. This was the first cigar without cuban tobacco.
1970's- early in the decade Carlos Arturo Fuente purchased a factory in Nicaragua. after only three years the factory employed 300 people and produced 18,000 cigars per day.
1973-Arturo Fuente passes away on February 11, 1973. He was 85.
1975-Flor Fina 8-5-8 was created in memory of Arturo Fuente.
1978-Sandinistas Liberation Front Rebellion, Carlos Arturo Fled for his life to Honduras factory. Nicarguan factory burned to the ground.
1979-Honduras Factory burns down. Carlos Arturo Fuente still producing cigars in Ybor City, Florida.
1980-January 3, 1980 Carlos Fuente Sr. met with Oliva Family to discuss opening a factory in the Dominican Republic.
1980-September 4th, Carlos and Carlito and families opened Fuente LTD in Santiago, Dominican Republic. 12,000 square foot Factory.
1981-Fuente releases Hemingway Series.
1984-Cigar Connoisseur Magazine features the Hemingway.
1985- Ashton brand established by Robert Levin and Fuente manufactures the cigars.
1986-Fuente Family joins the Newman Family to create FANCO to distribute cigars out of the Ybor City Location on 22nd Street.
1989-Hurricane George destroys 17 of 19 Tobacco Barns in the Dominican Republic.
1992-Carilto Fuente grows first dominican wrapper called "Project X from Planet 9"
1992-September: Cigar Aficionado is first published and ushered in the Cigar Boom.
1994-All Arturo Fuente operations closed at the Charles the Great Facility. Arturo Oscar Fuente retires from the company and opens Tampa Sweethearts Cigar Company in the same building.
1995-November0 Opus X hits the cigar market.
1996-Mondovi Opus One sues Fuente Family for trade infringement.
1997-40 million cigars were produced.
1999-Fuente Family wins trade infringement suit with Mondovi Opus One.
2004-Andy Garcia films "Lost City" in Dominican Republic. Garcia needs tobacco fields for his film but no plants were growing. Carlito plants 15 acres for the film and the Special Crop is named the Opus X Lost City Edition.
2011-August 25 Fire in Villa Gonzalez burned down 2 tobacco warehouses at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. (the manufacturer of Opus X and Arturo Fuente Cigars)
2012- Cigar Aficionado puts Carlos and Carlito Fuente on the cover. The first time a cigar manufacturer was featured on the cover.
2012-Fuente Companies Celebrate 100 year Anniversary.
2012- Gran AniverXario Destino el Siglo released.
2012 & 2014: Fuente partners with Hublot to create several watches dedicated to their cigars.
2016-Commemorating 25 years of the Fuente and Newman Partnership in Tampa, the Mayor named part of 2nd Avenue in Ybor City, Carlos Fuente's Way.
2016-August 5-Carlos Arturo Fuente (Senior) passes away at 81 years old.
2018-January 17-Arturo Fuente Box Factory breaks ground.
2018-January 22-Fuente & Newman Cigars renamed Arturo Fuente Cigar Company.
2018-January 26-Carlito Fuente annonces Nicaragua Factory to be built in Esteli called "Gran Fabrica de Tabacos La Bella y Le Bestia." Factory to be Designed by Manny Iriarte and Felix Mesa to oversee operations in Nicaragua. Carlito announces plans for the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation to open in Nicaragua.
information for this timeline were gathered from these sites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Fuente
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