Drew Estate Announces New Factory and Farm in the Dominican Republic, “Drew Dominicana”

While La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate is known globally as one of the largest and most respected premium cigar factories in the world, it is also well known that Drew Estate manufacturing has been exclusively based in Estelí, Nicaragua. ​ The combination of Drew Estate’s New York roots and Nicaraguan manufacturing home have been the unwavering backbone behind a distinct, hybrid culture that has changed the face of the premium cigar industry over the last thirty years.

The launch of Drew Dominicana represents the next major chapter in Drew Estate’s global evolution - expanding the company’s footprint into a multi-country manufacturer of premium cigars. The new, 73,000 sq. ft. manufacturing compound includes a consumer experience unlike anything in the cigar world - distinctly Drew Estate.

“Everything changes today,” says Jonathan Drew Sann from Wynwood, Florida. The Drew Estate Founder and President continues, “Nicaragua will forever be our homebase - but today, with us planting our official flag in the Dominican Republic - we are on to something very big, purposeful, and powerful. We are meeting a moment of evolution, head-on, and with open arms as we embrace a new season of learning and organizational growth. The Drew Estate culture, what we proudly call our Subculture, will now include a vibrant, additional layer of Dominican influence that will shine as bright as the sun itself. I’m so proud to know that my son, JD2 is going to have Santiago, Dominican Republic as his fourth native city: New York, Estelí, Wynwood, and now Santiago. Simply magical.”

Drew Dominicana will serve as a center for tobacco cultivation, cigar manufacturing, and immersive consumer experiences, marking the first time Drew Estate will produce cigars outside of Nicaragua. The announcement marks a major milestone in Drew Estate’s recent exploration of Dominican tobaccos. A journey that has already produced the 2025 blockbuster release, Deadwood Tobacco Co. Dominicana, as well as this year’s Undercrown El Tigre Dominicano and Deadwood Tobacco Co. Dominicana Buenas Noches.

While each of the three Dominican focused brands lean heavily into Dominican tobaccos, they are produced in Estelí, Nicaragua at La Gran Fabrica. Now, Drew Estate’s new Drew Dominicana factory and signature farm will provide the infrastructure, resources and authenticity for Drew Estate to invest even deeper into "La Madre de las Tierras" (Mother of Lands).

Drew Estate’s signature farm, located in Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic will provide Drew Dominicana with the ability to grow proprietary tobaccos and break boundaries that were only a dream in 2015 when Founder Jonathan Drew Sann wrote the initial white paper outlining the vision and strategy for the endeavor.

Drew Estate is very proud to announce that the farm led by Manuel Peralta, widely regarded as one of the Dominican Republic’s most respected tobacco cultivators, will grow tobaccos exclusively for Drew Estate. Peralta, as everyone calls him in the DR, is a celebrated seed developer and has been a pioneering force in the industry, growing tobacco for more than fifty years. ​ The tobaccos grown by Peralta will provide Drew Dominicana with unique, top-quality leaf developed and grown by one of the island’s most experienced and respected agronomists.

Maarten Van der Linden, Drew Estate’s Head of Tobacco Procurement and a 30-year veteran of the premium tobacco industry, added, “This project represents years of work behind the scenes. Dominican tobacco has incredible depth and character, but only when you invest properly. We’re working with the best professionals to develop truly exceptional tobacco. You can only make truly great cigars with truly great tobacco.”

While most of Drew Estate’s current production will remain at La Gran Fábrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua, the new Dominican initiative represents a long-term investment in the Dominican Republic that will broaden Drew Estate’s scope and resources to grow and innovate. The only brands scheduled to shift from Nicaragua to the Dominican Republic are Deadwood Tobacco Co. Dominicana and Undercrown El Tigre Dominicano, but the blends and packaging will remain exactly the same.

Glenn Wolfson, CEO of Drew Estate, added “There have been so many important developments throughout my ten years as CEO of Drew Estate, but this is certainly one of the most exciting, and simply put, one of the best. Every department of Drew Estate has been working to drive this project forward, and to them I am so thankful and proud.”

Drew Dominicana is a fast-developing story, with tremendous work still ahead of the company. Drew Estate will continue to share construction progress through our social media channels as new details develop. ​ Additional information about Drew Dominicana’s opening date and future releases will be shared as it becomes available.