Matilde Builds a Factory and a Second Brand

The Seijas family came home from Dortmund with more than show orders: they opened the Pineapple Cigar Factory, a new facility built to house an entirely new brand and to take on private-label work for others. The new marque arrives next year with five lines blended from tobaccos across several growing regions, all still undisclosed, plus another line planned for Matilde itself. The pineapple name is a family emblem, a nod to the clan being brought back together. The strategic read is bigger than one factory. With the European distributor layer wobbling - Germany's incumbent Habanos importer is in insolvency proceedings - manufacturers that control their own production and can contract-roll for others are quietly becoming the industry's load-bearing walls. The US stays Matilde's main market, but Ricardo Seijas now runs distribution for Europe, the Middle East, and Asia out of the new setup.