General Cigar Dominicana is the Dominican manufacturing hub of General Cigar Company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG). Established in 1975 in the Santiago Free Zone—making it one of the earliest large-scale international operators in the country—the company has been a founding ProCigar member since 1992.

The facility’s origins trace back to the mid-1970s, a period when international producers sought alternatives to Cuba. General Cigar collaborated with the Dominican government starting in 1974 to develop local wrapper tobacco before launching manufacturing in 1978. A major turning point occurred when production of historical brands like Partagás (following cooperation with Ramón Cifuentes) and Macanudo (previously made in Jamaica) was transferred to the Santiago facility, transforming it into an export-oriented powerhouse for globally recognized brands.

Designed around deep vertical integration, the sprawling campus spans five buildings across approximately 46,000 square meters. Unlike simple rolling shops, the complex integrates tobacco processing, experimental farming, a horticultural center, extensive aging warehouses, box-manufacturing, and hand-rolling. This robust infrastructure allows master blenders like Jhonys Diaz to manage extensive reserves of long-aged tobaccos for brands such as Macanudo, Partagás, Cohiba, and La Gloria Cubana.

Following acquisitions by Swedish Match in 2005 and later Scandinavian Tobacco Group in 2010, the factory operates as part of an international manufacturing network. Guided by leadership including factory manager Yuri Guillen and Head of Manufacturing Americas Francisco Batista, General Cigar Dominicana remains an industrial cornerstone of Santiago’s cigar ecosystem, seamlessly blending massive production scale with hand-crafted tradition.