A fire broke out yesterday afternoon at a tobacco processing facility owned by Aganorsa Leaf in Estelí, Nicaragua. The blaze, which continued into the night, destroyed thousands of pounds of raw tobacco intended for premium cigar production. The facility, located along the Pan-American Highway, was separate from the main Aganorsa Leaf factory, which produces cigars under the Aganorsa Leaf brand and other notable lines, including Illusione and Warped.

Footage from the scene revealed an intense fire, with thick smoke rising high into the sky. Even if the fire had been contained, the smoke and water damage would have rendered much of the tobacco unusable. The facility, referred to as a “preindustria,” was used for sorting, fermenting, and aging barn-cured tobacco. Despite the significant loss, Aganorsa Leaf reassured its clients that its other tobacco processing facilities in Nicaragua would help minimize any disruption to its operations.

Terence Reilly of Aganorsa Leaf commented, “Yesterday one of our preindustrias caught fire. No one was hurt, and while this is a substantial loss, we are fortunate to have other facilities with ample tobacco to reduce the impact on our production.”

Aganorsa Leaf, owned by Eduardo Fernández, is one of Nicaragua’s largest premium tobacco growers, with farms across key regions including Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa. In addition to supplying its own factories, the company brokers tobacco to major players in the cigar industry.

Looking ahead, Aganorsa Leaf plans to debut two new vitolas for its Supreme Leaf line at InterTabac 2024, along with a modified colour scheme for international markets. The company will introduce a 6 x 50 Euro Toro and a 5 1/4 x 54 Inter Robusto, both packaged in 10-count boxes. Each size will be limited to 2,024 individually numbered boxes, with the same blend as the U.S. versions. These cigars will feature Nicaraguan tobacco, including a corojo 99 wrapper grown by Aganorsa.

Terence Reilly expressed excitement for the upcoming release, noting that demand for the Supreme Leaf continues to grow internationally. The new cigars, crafted in collaboration with Kopp Tobaccos GmbH & Co., will be available in limited quantities, with shipments to German retailers expected by mid-October.

InterTabac 2024 will take place from September 19-21 in Dortmund, Germany.