Earlier this year Boutique Blends entered into a strategic alliance with Altadis USA. Under that agreement, Altadis USA would handle the distribution for Boutique Blends. Concurrently, Boutique Blends co-owner Rafael Nodal would also join the Altadis USA team focused on product development, quality, and innovation. Now Nodal’s role will be expanding as Altadis USA’s parent company Tabacalera USA announced that Nodal will be the company’s new head of product capability.

In his new role, Nodal will support Tabacalera USA’s premium cigar business reporting to company president Javier Estates. This includes Altadis USA’s premium brands as well as the catalog and retail subsidiaries of Casa de Monte Cristo and JR Cigar. His role will be focusing on both the company’s own  factories and manufacturing partners maintaining quality and identifying opportunities for innovation under the regulatory framework that exists from the FDA’s Deeming Regulations.

Recently Nodal’s footprint had already taken form at Altadis USA. Prior to the strategic alliance, Nodal and Boutique Blends collaborated with Altadis to produce the Romeo by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room Small Batch F25. This was a cigar produced at Jochy Blanco’s Tabacalera Palma, Boutique Blends’ long-time Manufacturing partner. Last month, the company announced the release of the Trinidad Santiago. This is a new regular production offering that was spearheaded by Nodal and is Altadis’ first regular production release out of  Tabacalera Palma.

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop