Adrian Gonzalez Cigars

Luciano cigars merge the blending and business prowess of Luciano Meirelles with the quality construction and production standards of Eradio Pichardo's factory in Nicaragua. Raised in Brazil with roots in Italy and Portugal, Luciano enjoyed a career in finance and consulting before devoting his efforts to cigars. In fact, his political consultancy company became among the most influential in Latin America, eventually leading him to represent the cigar industry in the Dominican Republic.

Through this venture, Meirelles met Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, and the elder icon inspired Luciano to establish his own cigar company. Ernesto, in turn, introduced Luciano to Eradio Pichardo, who had worked for Habanos S.A. before starting his own factory. Meirelles and Pichardo quickly became close friends, with Eradio mentoring Luciano in the ways of tobacco blending, and in 2009 they became business partners, managing both Tabacalera Pichardo and various tobacco farms in Nicaragua and Ecuador.

Prioritizing a vertically integrated approach to cigar making, Meirelles and Pichardo are committed to sourcing only the best tobacco available, and their tobacco farms in Nicaragua and Ecuador are dedicated to the specific needs of Luciano and Tabacalera Pichardo. In Nicaragua, they grow mainly Criollo and Corojo fillers, and in Ecuador, primarily wrapper leaves of Corojo '98 and '99, Criollo 2012, and Pichardo's proprietary hybrids of Sumatra- and Connecticut-seed varietals. Luciano cigars benefit from this approach, boasting the best tobacco processed and rolled by the most experienced craftsmen via investment in and partnerships with local communities.

As business partners, Meirelles and Pichardo joined with former NBA player Tiago Splitter to found ACE Prime in 2018, managing the production of all cigars at Tabacalera Pichardo, including those in the Luciano and Pichardo lines.