La Flor Dominicana is a vertically integrated, family-owned premium cigar manufacturer based in Tamboril, Santiago, Dominican Republic. Established in 1994 by Litto Gomez and Ines Lorenzo-Gomez—who entered the industry without a traditional tobacco background after leaving the Miami jewelry trade—the company began in a modest Villa González facility as Los Libertadores with just four rolling stations.

Following a 1996 split with their original investor, the founders rebranded as La Flor Dominicana and relocated to Tamboril. Committed to complete manufacturing control, Gomez learned blending, fermentation, and rolling through hands-on experience. To secure raw materials amid intense competition, the company achieved vertical integration by establishing its own agricultural operations in La Canela in 1997, growing its own binder, filler, and wrapper tobaccos.

This agricultural control fueled a shift toward full-bodied blends dominated by strong ligero tobacco from the upper plant leaves, moving away from the mild profiles of the mid-1990s. The company also became known for manufacturing innovation, pioneering unique shapes like the wedge-headed Chisel and complex figurados such as the El Jocko Perfecto and the Andalusian Bull—which earned Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year for 2016.

Despite setbacks, including a 1999 fire that destroyed 400,000 cigars, the company expanded significantly while remaining family-operated. Today, with the integration of the founders’ son, Antonio “Tony” Gomez, into leadership and product development, La Flor Dominicana spans estate farming in La Canela and a distinctive Tamboril factory. More than three decades after its founding, the company stands as a model of modern boutique manufacturing driven by vertical integration, agricultural experimentation, and uncompromising factory control.