TEAM LGC
Michael Giannini, a true cigar enthusiast, knows he is blessed that his life’s work is his passion—a passion that stems from living the cigar life.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Michael has been in the cigar business for more than 28 years. As the National Sales Manager/Marketing Director for the La Gloria Cubana brand since 2000, Michael is happy to work for a brand he can stand behind. La Gloria Cubana’s Little Havana roots, where the brand was born, make it a very distinctive cigar with a unique taste profile. And that makes it easy for Michael to carry out the brand’s vision and direction, including ad campaigns, marketing promotions, events, new products, blends, packaging, the list goes on and on.
Leo Peraza, a Cuban expatriate born and raised in a province of Havana, Cuba, is counted among the renowned rollers of the El Credito Cigar Factory in Miami’s Little Havana district.
At the tender age of 14, Leo went to work for one of Cuba’s premier cigar factories where he quickly rose to the position of a “Tabaquero Tripa Larga A”—the highest possible grade of cigar roller. When he arrived in Miami in 1995 on a tourist visa, it wasn’t long before his talent for cigar rolling led him to El Credito.
Today, Leo serves as a traveling ambassador demonstrating his cigar-rolling expertise at consumer events across the country. A true representative of the El Credito brand, Leo exudes a passion for the art of handcrafting cigars.
For Yuri Guillen, cigar making is not a process. It is an art.
Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Yuri joined General Cigar Dominicana in 1997 as a Production Supervisor. Over the years, Yuri underwent training that made him an expert in the cigar-making process. In 2004 he became the Manager of the El Credito factory including La Gloria Cubana and RH cigar brands.
Today, Yuri is the leader of the entire El Credito cigar manufacturing process, including machine made cigars. Yuri and his team have such respect for each leaf that passes through their hands, each cigar is a masterpiece made for a customer with a very demanding taste.
As a 10-year veteran of General Cigar, few people possess as strong a passion for the premium cigar business as Rick Rodriguez.
Soon after his start as a sales representative in Florida, General Cigar’s team of cigar masters unanimously selected Rick to participate in a program that extended to the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Rick became immersed in the art of cigar making, learning time-honored traditions including tobacco agriculture and cultivation to aging, processing, and ultimately, cigar making. Upon his return to the United States, he was given the honor of working as an apprentice of Benji Menendez, the last remaining Cuban cigar master.
Today, Rick continues to seek new opportunities for expanding General Cigar’s distribution while also serving as an ambassador representing General Cigar at events across the U.S. and in the Dominican Republic.
