Foundation Cigar Company

Nicholas Melillo spent more than a decade in Nicaragua running production and tobacco sourcing for Drew Estate before leaving to start Foundation Cigar Company in 2015. He grew up in the Connecticut River Valley, and the combination of Connecticut broadleaf and shade with Nicaraguan filler runs through much of the range, most obviously in the Charter Oak line named for the state's colonial emblem.

The debut brand, El Gueguense, takes its name from a Nicaraguan folk drama recognised by UNESCO, and its blend of Nicaraguan leaf established the house style. The Wise Man is a companion line in Corojo and Maduro; The Tabernacle uses a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan and Mexican leaf; Highclere Castle is made under licence with the English estate of that name.

Foundation has no factory of its own and works through Nicaraguan manufacturers. The company has expanded steadily into Olmec, Aksum, Menelik and Knight Commander lines, and remains owned and directed by Melillo. The company has no farms of its own and buys leaf on the Nicaraguan market, which distinguishes it from the vertically integrated houses it competes with. Highclere Castle Senetjer and the anniversary releases have extended the range at higher price points.