Foundation Cigar Co.

Foundation Cigar Co. was launched in mid-2015 by cigar manufacturer Nicholas Melillo. Before founding his own company, Melillo was perhaps best known for running production at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Nicaragua. The foundation's first cigar, EI Güegüiense (or 'The Wise Man'), debuted in 2015, followed by a Maduro version in 2017. Both EI Güegüiense cigars are produced at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa (TABSA) factory in Nicaragua. The foundation's other two brands—The Tabernacle (2016) and Highclere Castle (2017)—are produced at A.J. Fernandez's namesake factory, Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua. The company is headquartered on a 50-acre tobacco farm in Melillo's hometown of Connecticut.