How twin sisters launched an artisanal Cuban cigar shop in Miami

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For twin sisters Yvette and Yvonne Rodriguez, their grandmother was a source of inspiration in kickstarting their business Tres Lindas Cubanas Cigars, a Cuban cigar shop based in Miami. “If you Google ‘Cuban woman smoking a cigar,’ that looks just like my grandmother,” said Yvonne.

The Rodriguez sisters source their cigars from a factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The sisters create the blend and the workers in Nicaragua put it together to then ship the rolled-up cigars back to Miami.

The Rodriguez’s individually package and ship the cigars to paying customers, but there are some challenges, Yvette said, as “the amount of orders that we’re still receiving is coming in at a […] faster pace.” Still, they are able to manage business.

“We don’t take them as issues, we take them as part of the journey,” Yvonne said. “Then, when you’re done handling business, you pour yourself some rum, you light up your cigar and you sit back under the humid Miami air.”