Rolando Reyes Sr. Passed Away

Source from:  Tobacco Journal 03/20/2012

Rolando Reyes passed away at his home with all his family present on March 18, 2012. He was in Miami, Florida. He had been ailing and the entire family was present. Rolando was 88 years old. Rolando spent his life in tobacco and cigars. He started his first cigar factory in Cuba and after the Cuban Revolution, he built a factory in Honduras to his own specifications. He continued the tradition of having a lector read to the rollers but did a few things in an unorthodox manner. He truly designed the factory to his specifications. I will always remember one day I spent with him in Honduras when he explained that he built the rolling floor on an angle so that he could watch every roller from the front of the room. We adjourned to his house which sat just behind the factory. The house and factory sat in front of the two mountains that he owned in Danli Honduras. As an animal lover, Rolando let the monkeys rule the mountains. He hardly bothered the monkeys except for his occasional walks on the paths with spectacular views over the valley. Once inside his house he pulled fresh fruits, that he grew on his land, out of the freezer. He made fruit shakes out of them by simply adding a bit of condensed milk. Delicious. He grew his own coffee, raised his own animals and lived a natural life. Not only was Rolando a legend in the cigar business (Rolando Reyes, Puros Indios) but he was a loving father, and had a beautiful heart. Enditem