News Release
for immediate release
Cuban Refugee Crafters
Making Legal Cigars in Austin, TX
Local Charity and Business Form Downtown Alliance That Delivers
Winning Combination For Cuban Refugees and the Cigar Discerning Smoker
Austin, TX — April, 2014
This year marks the 50th anniversary for Caritas, an Austin charity that serves over 20,000 people per year in its quest to eliminate poverty and homelessness.
One of the more interesting relationships Caritas has formed over the years is with the Bobalu Cigar Company, a downtown merchant and operator of the highly popular Bobalu.com online cigar shop.
Jeff Lipton, owner of Bobalu, tells the story of a successful pairing 17 years ago, that has been repeated several times:
“We were in our first year of business,” explains Lipton. “Four recent University of Texas grads trying to grab our piece of the cigar craze. We had the right idea, hand rolling factory fresh cigars right before our customers’ eyes. But let’s face it, nobody believed that we had any real cigar rolling experience; and our product kind of showed it!”
Then came that fateful call from a savvy Caritas associate.
“We have a Cuban refugee with us who used to roll cigars for Romeo Y Julietta (a popular Cuban cigar brand). He needs employment. Can you help?”
Lipton, wanting to demonstrate responsible business management, agreed to interview the candidate and audition him as a roller.
“You could have heard our jaws hit the floor!” Laughs Lipton. “Armando came over, sat at our rolling station and proceeded to roll the most gorgeous, elegant cigars I have ever seen. I had no idea how to tell him he had the job, but I’m sure he knew it from our excitement!”
That successful Caritas/Bobalu winning combination has been repeated several times over the years as many more Cuban crafters have found their way to 509 E. Sixth Street in Austin, TX.
You can watch these expert cigar rollers online on Bobalu’s uniqe “Roller Cam”, http://bobalu.com/go/pr-rollercam.
Discerning cigar smokers that want to experience a truly unique cigar can also order factory fresh cigars from Bobalu.com and have them shipped anywhere in the United States and to military bases around the world (Hint: Bobalu cigars make a wonderful gift for your favorite soldier serving overseas!)
“You just can’t find a legal Cuban hand-rolled, factory fresh cigar like ours anywhere else,” beams Lipton. “And I owe a lot of that to Caritas! Happy Anniversary, Caritas, and congratulations on all of your remarkable achievements.”
Learn more about Caritas at http://www.caritasofaustin.org/ and Bobalu at http://Bobalu.com . “Like” Bobalu’s Facebook page at http://Bobalu.com/go/facebook.
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Visit the Bobalu Cigar Press Room for our Press Kit and High Resolution Images
Bobalu Cigar Co. – Austin, Texas Toll-Free 1-888-33-CIGAR Tel: 512-469-5877
Fax: 512-469-5972 Email: info@Bobalu.com Web: www.Bobalu.com
