Rocky Patel Premium Cigars
One of the most recognized names in the premium cigar business, Rocky Patel was first a cigar consumer before a cigar company owner. While working as a lawyer in Los Angeles, Patel would often enjoy a cigar at the Grand Havana Room. In 1996, he helped finance a cigar startup called Indian Tabac Cigar Co., which sold contract brands. Two years later, Patel transitioned from more of a silent partner role to essentially taking over. He began working to establish control of the manufacturing process, from tobacco growing to cigar rolling, in order to produce better quality cigars more consistently. In 2002, he changed his company name to Rocky Patel Premium Cigars and, three years later, he opened his own facility, Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A., or TaviCusa, in Estelí, Nicaragua. A true road warrior, Patel at one point was logging 300 days and 150,000 miles on the road. The hard work has paid off, as The Edge and Rocky Patel cigar brands have sold millions of cigars worldwide.
