Fratello
- Founded in
- 2013 — Omar de Frias, chez Joya de Nicaragua
- Factories
- Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, Estelí, Nicaragua
- Countries
- Nicaragua
Omar de Frias was an engineer at NASA. Born in the Dominican Republic, raised in the United States, a college basketball player and then holder of a master's in engineering, he was working on space programmes when he decided to start a cigar brand.
Two years of preparation, and Fratello appeared at the IPCPR trade show in 2013. The name means "brother" in Italian.
Everything is rolled at Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, in Estelí — the country's oldest factory, which this atlas holds, and the one that also rolls for Dunbarton and for Room101.
The catalogue rests on four ranges: Bianco, Oro, Boxer and Navetta. Navetta means "shuttle" in Italian, which is probably no accident for a former space engineer.
Range Depth
Fratello Bianco
The pale side of the catalogue, under an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. It is the house's most accessible range, and the one that got it onto retailers' shelves.
Robusto · Toro
Fratello Oro
The golden range, denser than the Bianco. Same workshop, same family of tobaccos, a more assertive composition.
Robusto · Toro · Corona
Navetta
"Shuttle", in Italian. The name of a former NASA engineer who makes cigars, and the fullest side of his catalogue.
Robusto · Toro
Fratello Classico
The founding blend, 2013, under the Fratello name alone, renamed Classico in 2018.
Source : thecigarauthority.com et cigar.com (Omar de Frias, la NASA, Joya de Nicaragua) ; fratellocigar.com (Classico : l'assemblage des débuts, 2013, rebaptisé Classico en 2018)