ANTIGUA ESTELÍ CIGARS CHANGES NAME TO SEGOVIAS DE ESTELÍ

Antigua Estelí Cigars has a new identity, as the company has announced that it is changing its name to Segovia de Estelí effective immediately for its business in the U.S. and a handful of other countries.

In a press release, the company said that the change “is a result of rebranding and corporate restructuring to reflect and mirror the growth and transformation of our company,” and added that while the name is changing, the products it makes will not and “will continue to live up to the quality and refinement that our valued customers have come to know and expect both within the U.S and abroad around the world.”

However, the name change also comes after a lawsuit filed in 2019 by J.G.G. Tobacco Holding Company Inc., the company owned by Jaime Garcia of My Father Cigars. The Antigua Estelí name had been challenged for being too close to My Father’s La Antiguedad brand, with J.G.G. accusing Antigua Estelí of trademark infringement.

Antigua Estelí Cigars/Segvoias de Estelí is owned by Arturo “Art” Garcia Chevreuil, who told halfwheel that the case has been settled out of court, with the name change part of the agreement. In the press release announcing the name change, the company made a statement noting that Art Garcia is not affiliated with or otherwise connected to My Father Cigars, José “Pepín” García, or his family.

The company’s new name references Las Segovias, a region of northern Nicaragua that includes Estelí, widely considered to be the cigar capital of the country. It also includes Jalapa, an area well known for its tobacco farmland. Estelí is often referred to as “El Diamante de Las Segovias,” or The Diamond of the Segovias,” a nickname given to it by Oscar Corea Molina, a radio personality.

The company noted that the change and restructuring will take place over the next three months, during which time it will be focusing on both reassuring existing customers, suppliers, retailers, partners, personnel and shareholders that the company is here to stay, while also beginning to lay the groundwork for expanding its business by way of new lines of cigars.

“In short, by moving our name from Antigua Esteli Cigars to Segovias de Esteli Cigars in the United States, we are making a statement to be fully perceived as high-end blenders, manufacturers of hand-made premium cigars effective immediately,” the company wrote.

Outside of any business in the United States, the Dominican Republic, Russia or Cuba, the company will continue to be known as Antigua Estelí Cigars.