This video with Hiroshi Robaina was originally shot for the film, Cigars: The Heart & Soul of Cuba, but was not included in the final cut.
Hiroshi is the head of Finca Robaina, the legendary estate in Pinar del Río in western Cuba, where Hiroshi’s family has been growing tobacco since 1845. Hiroshi would not be where he is if it weren’t for his grandfather, the great Alejandro Robaina. Alejandro handed the estates management to Hiroshi several years before his death in April of 2010. Hiroshi has since then become one the leading young producers in the island. You must take into account that Hiroshi’s Grandfather, Alejandro is considered to be a legend, the Godfather of Cuban tobacco.
Hiroshi has been doing an incredible job and has found his own voice as leader in the Robaina estate working endlessly and adding new technologies to the production. Finca Robaina is located in the western part of the island in the locality of San Juan y Martínez that is part of the province of Pinar del Río. As you will hear Hiroshi explain in the video, Finca Robaina, is part of Vuelta Abajo, the finest tobacco growing land in the world. The estate also holds the denomination of “Vega Fina de Primera” status, the highest quality denomination to be found in the island.
In 1997, the brand Vegas Robaina was created to honor Robaina’s accomplishments in the industry.