Frank Llaneza
FRANK LLANEZA (discontinued)
After serving his country in WWII, Frank returned to his father’s factory and began training to be a tobacco selector. In 1947, Frank was on a trip to learn more about leaf selection when his mentor, José Suarez, suddenly passed. That tragedy put Frank’s leaf buying skills to the test and he established his name among the circles of cigar giants.
In the 1950’s, economic hard times put pressure on Frank’s father’s company and they restructured under the name Villazon and Company. Villazon and Co. was managed by Frank and his brother, Joe. The brothers pulled the business out of the red and into the black by focusing on a niche market.
Frank’s biggest accolade is his avant-garde decision to grow Cuban-seed tobacco in Central America. In 1954, Angel Olivia Sr. of the Oliva Tobacco Company and Frank arrived in Jalapa, Nicaragua and cleared out wild foliage to plant their Cuban tobacco seeds.
Angel and Frank’s expedition was critical to the survival of their companies because both of their productions had a heavy dependence on Cuban tobacco. In 1962, the Cuban Embargo cut off trade with the island and isolated thousands of companies from their tobacco source. Most companies followed Angel and Frank’s lead and began growing tobacco in Central and South America.
In 1964, Frank founded Honduras American Tobacco S.A., also known as HATSA. Frank’s factory was located in Danlí, which has developed into the countries tobacco headquarters. A small portion of the Villazon and Co. production remained in Tampa but most of the production was moved to Honduras.
During the 70’s and 80’s, the demand in the cigar market was mainly mellow mild strength cigars. Despite this fact, Frank kept producing full bodied cigars. The Villazon line-up catered to those who craved the strength and boldness of Cuban tobacco.
In the midst of the 1990’s cigar boom, Frank sold Villazon and Co. to General Cigar Company. His career is highlighted thru his work with huge brands such as El Rey del Mundo, Punch, and Hoyo de Monterrey. Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey have lines named after Frank to honor the efforts he made to develop each brand.
Frank could not stay away from the cigar industry and he returned to work with Altadis. It was in the second stage of his career that he founded Frank Llaneza 1961. These medium to full-bodied cigars are hand crafted in Nicaragua and feature Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobacco, cloaked in a rich oily Ecuadoran wrapper.
Unfortunately, Frank passed in 2010 at 90 years old. True aficionados appreciate and recognize all Frank Llaneza has done for the industry. Honor his legacy and smoke a Frank Llaneza 1961 cigar today!
...Read More
In the 1950’s, economic hard times put pressure on Frank’s father’s company and they restructured under the name Villazon and Company. Villazon and Co. was managed by Frank and his brother, Joe. The brothers pulled the business out of the red and into the black by focusing on a niche market.
Frank’s biggest accolade is his avant-garde decision to grow Cuban-seed tobacco in Central America. In 1954, Angel Olivia Sr. of the Oliva Tobacco Company and Frank arrived in Jalapa, Nicaragua and cleared out wild foliage to plant their Cuban tobacco seeds.
Angel and Frank’s expedition was critical to the survival of their companies because both of their productions had a heavy dependence on Cuban tobacco. In 1962, the Cuban Embargo cut off trade with the island and isolated thousands of companies from their tobacco source. Most companies followed Angel and Frank’s lead and began growing tobacco in Central and South America.
In 1964, Frank founded Honduras American Tobacco S.A., also known as HATSA. Frank’s factory was located in Danlí, which has developed into the countries tobacco headquarters. A small portion of the Villazon and Co. production remained in Tampa but most of the production was moved to Honduras.
During the 70’s and 80’s, the demand in the cigar market was mainly mellow mild strength cigars. Despite this fact, Frank kept producing full bodied cigars. The Villazon line-up catered to those who craved the strength and boldness of Cuban tobacco.
In the midst of the 1990’s cigar boom, Frank sold Villazon and Co. to General Cigar Company. His career is highlighted thru his work with huge brands such as El Rey del Mundo, Punch, and Hoyo de Monterrey. Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey have lines named after Frank to honor the efforts he made to develop each brand.
Frank could not stay away from the cigar industry and he returned to work with Altadis. It was in the second stage of his career that he founded Frank Llaneza 1961. These medium to full-bodied cigars are hand crafted in Nicaragua and feature Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobacco, cloaked in a rich oily Ecuadoran wrapper.
Unfortunately, Frank passed in 2010 at 90 years old. True aficionados appreciate and recognize all Frank Llaneza has done for the industry. Honor his legacy and smoke a Frank Llaneza 1961 cigar today!
...Read More
