Perfecto Garcia Bros. Cigar Factory

History of the Perfecto Garcia Bros. Cigar Factory

Establishment of Perfect Garcia & Bros.

The Perfecto Garcia Brothers Cigar Company was established in 1905 in Ybor City under the name Perfecto Garcia & Brothers by four brothers—Angel, José, Manuel, and the namesake, Perfecto Garcia. Using fine Cuban tobacco grown on their family farms, they hand-rolled cigars locally while operating more than fifteen retail cigar shops in Chicago, their primary market. Over time, Angel returned to Spain, José remained in Chicago to oversee sales, and Manuel managed production at the Ybor City factory after Perfecto retired in 1926. Alongside Bering and Garcia y Vega, Perfecto Garcia cigars were regarded among the finest available during the early 20th century.

A New Brick Edifice

The company’s original wooden factory on Seventh Street was destroyed in a devastating Ybor City fire, but in 1914, a new three-story brick building with a basement, totaling 44,000 square feet, was constructed on the same site. An office wing on the east side was added during the 1950s. The Oliva Tobacco Company supplied the firm with Cuban leaf stored in the factory’s basement, and at its height, Perfecto Garcia Brothers produced cigars in sixty-five different sizes, employing more than 1,200 workers. All cigars were rolled by hand.

In the 1960s, a young Julio Eiroa worked at the factory before founding Caribe Imported Cigars in Miami, later known for acquiring Camacho Cigars in 1995, continuing the legacy of craftsmanship that began at Perfecto Garcia.

Closure

Following the Cuban Embargo, Perfecto Garcia’s supply of Cuban tobacco began to dwindle. Like many other Ybor City cigar companies, the firm struggled to maintain production and eventually sought to sell. The company was acquired by Havano Cigar Corp., which modernized operations by introducing machine rolling, producing an average of 60,000 cigars per day.

In 1981, United States Tobacco, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, purchased the company from Havano and rebranded it as the Central American Cigar Co. The following year, in June 1982, the Ybor City factory was shut down. It soon became clear that the acquisition was largely for the brand name rather than the facility itself. Executives cited declining cigar sales and a weakened economy as reasons for the closure, noting that production would be consolidated at a newer, more modern plant in Yoe, Pennsylvania.

In 1999, Arango Cigar Co. of Northbrook, Illinois, revived the brand, becoming the exclusive importer and distributor of Perfecto Garcia premium cigars, now hand-rolled once again, but produced in Nicaragua.

Future Use

Since the factory’s closure, the Ybor building has changed ownership several times. One owner, a man from Clearwater, envisioned transforming the top floor into a luxurious bachelor loft, but later sold the property in 2002 to Perfecto Garcia LLC of Hilton Head, South Carolina. Unfortunately, those redevelopment plans never materialized due to the economic downturn. The building was sold again in February 2019 for approximately $2.1 million. The current owners have announced intentions to restore the historic structure and convert it into a modern co-op space inspired by Tampa’s Armature Works.

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