Gran Habano Family Part Ways

Source from:  Tuesday, October 14, 2008 cigaraficionado.com By Andrew Nagy  10/17/2008

Guillermo and George Rico, the father-son team that made and marketed the small but highly rated Gran Habano brand, have parted ways. George Rico told Cigar Insider he left the company in an email sent in mid-September. "He decided to go and separate," said Guillermo Rico, 52, in a phone interview. "He decided to go alone-he wanted to build his brand. Sometimes," he said with a resigned laugh, "the kids think they're smarter than the father." "I spent many years trying to get Gran Habano off the ground," said 30-year-old George Rico in the email. "I struggled for many years just to focus on what I love to do, but it became too uncomfortable for me… It's hard, but, seeing how different things are, I am very happy to be on my own. I have that drive again. That love to make new cigar blends and share them with the world." George Rico said he had no interest in the Gran Habano brand, which is made by his father at GR Tabacaleras Unidas in Danlí, Honduras. George Rico recently debuted his own brand, called G.A.R. by George A. Rico, which retails for $7 to $9.50 and is made with Nicaraguan filler, Ecuadoran binder and Ecuadoran wrapper. For more on this story, read the October 7 issue of Cigar Insider. Enditem