MoyaRuiz Cigars is a company founded by Danny Moya and Nelson Ruiz. Two friends that both share a passion for cigars. Danny’s love for cigars first started because of his grandfather an avid cigar smoker and tobacco grower from Cuba’s famed Pinar del Rio region. Nelson remembers always having to bring his grandfather a cigar when he would go over to visit. You see being Cuban-Americans enjoying cigars isn’t just something you do once in a while it’s a way of life. Both friends met back in 1998 while working in sales for a major electronic company. While continuing in different career paths Danny moved back to New Jersey to open his own business. Nelson remained in South Florida to pursue a career in real estate. Both friends kept in contact while continuing to discuss their passion for cigars. After many years Danny one day spoke to Nelson and said,“instead of talking so much about cigars, how about we make our own.” Nelson thought he was crazy!
Both Danny and Nelson had a mutual friend already in the business Mr.Orestes “Erik” Espinosa. The timing couldn’t have been better. Erik had just separated from his partner and was in the process of opening his own factory La Zona in Esteli, Nicaragua. We knew that having such a close friend and well respected cigar maker on our side would allow us to be more in control of the blending process. We didn’t want to use a manufacturer that was going to merely send us samples. If we were going to create a brand we wanted to do it right. Working with the La Zona team allowed us just that. All of the cigars made in the La Zona factory are hand crafted in the traditional Cuban way of making a cigar. Every cigar is “entubado” a process where the long filler tobacco leaves are rolled one by one into tubes rather than bunched. This allows for maximum air flow through the cigars for a perfect draw everytime. And finally all of the heads are mounted with a beautiful “triple cap” to give the ultimate presentation and skill needed in making a cigar the Cuban way. For us this is truly a dream come true, a chance at making our grandfathers proud and that a little piece of them lives inside us.