PDR Cigars was established by Abe Flores in the Dominican Republic after he transitioned from the U.S. cigar retail and technology sectors into cigar manufacturing. The company’s factory history dates to 2004, when the Don Leoncio brand was established. PDR subsequently developed through the launch of Pinar del Rio in 2008 and PDR 1878 in 2009, with growing demand eventually requiring a substantially larger manufacturing facility.

Flores initially operated with a small team and production facility. After becoming sole owner of PDR Cigars, he reached an agreement with Jochy Blanco of Tabacalera Palma that allowed the company to move into a larger facility in the La Palma industrial area of Tamboril. The current factory is located in Parque Zona Franca Industrial La Palma and provides substantially greater production capacity than the company’s original operation.

The factory has developed around a boutique manufacturing model while maintaining significant production capacity. Cigar Aficionado reported that PDR was producing approximately five million handmade cigars annually by 2015. The factory was later documented as occupying approximately 40,000 square feet, with capacity for roughly 600 employees.

Tobacco processing and blending are central to the operation. PDR sources tobacco from several growing regions, including the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Brazil, Ecuador and the United States. The factory’s manufacturing philosophy emphasizes traditional Cuban construction techniques, particularly the entubado method of bunching filler tobacco.

The operation has also evolved in response to its position within the Dominican cigar industry. After joining ProCigar, Flores increasingly incorporated Dominican-grown tobacco into PDR blends, including greater use of locally sourced wrapper, binder and filler tobacco. The change connected the factory more directly with the Dominican agricultural supply chain while maintaining access to international leaf.

PDR’s production has historically included both proprietary brands and contract manufacturing. However, the company’s own portfolio increasingly became the dominant focus as demand for PDR’s brands grew. The factory has produced several PDR lines, including PDR 1878, A. Flores 1975 and Flores y Rodriguez, alongside limited-production projects.

Today, PDR Cigars remains an active ProCigar manufacturer based in Tamboril. Its factory combines international tobacco sourcing, Dominican-grown leaf, traditional handmade construction and boutique-scale production under Flores’ direction. The operation represents a comparatively young manufacturing company within the Dominican cigar industry, but one that has developed from a small production team into an internationally distributed factory.