Tabacalera Unidas joins botl vs corona. Botl vs corona is a Dutch initiative where cigar manufacturers and their Dutch distributor Longfiller Company dedicate to share part of their margin with the Dutch tobacconists to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic. The initiative was started by Longfiller Company and five of the brands the company represents, but more cigar manufacturers joined.

With Tabacalera Unidas, the umbrella company for Asylum Cigars, CLE, Eiroa, and OSOK, the total number of participants grows to twelve. Other participants are the founding members Rocky Patel, Joya de Nicaragua, Plasencia Cigars, La Sagrada Familia, and Oliva cigars. PDR, Condega Cigars, My Father, Tatuaje, A.J. Fernandez, and J.C. Newman joined soon after. And how Christian Eiroa, Tom Lazuka and their team are helping out the Dutch tobacconists as well.

More precautions

In a video on Facebook, Christian Eiroa also explains that CLE Cigars is making some changes in the factory. CLE is Bayer certified and already has disinfection tunnels at the entrance of the factory. But now thermal cameras are being installed, so sick people are detected before they enter the factory. There will be more disinfection stations all over the factory, especially in places where tools are used and shared. And the handwashing stations are being redesigned so factory workers and visitors don’t have to stand close to each other.

Even though the factory in Danli has been closed for a month and a half, all the employees are still paid. Eiroa hopes that the factory will be open soon, within two weeks. Honduras has been hit with approximately 1500 confirmed Covid-19 cases of which about 100 people passed away. None of those unfortunate deaths took place in El Paraiso, where the El Aladino factory is located.