300 HANDS | Southern Draw Cigars

THIS IS THEIR STORY

The People.

The Nicaraguan people remain committed to this celebrated art form but they do dream of something better. With a population of approximately 6 million people and a median age of about 25 years old, the future is now for a great country that remains one of the least developed in Latin America where poverty is high (30% - 40% based on recent reports) and access to basic services are a daily struggle. Over the last five years, the Southern Draw Cigars family has experienced the wonder of this country and the people have touched our hearts. Prior to recent escalation, we have observed struggles which are fraught with personal tragedy, misfortune and misery. The shanties of concrete, walls of plastic sheets, roofs of corrugated metal and even cardboard, some filled beyond comfort, many remain homeless, unpaved or rough roads are too numerous to count, many have limited access to clean water and electricity and these are just a few of the essential needs of the people.

And yet, here in the United States, the largest export partner of Nicaragua representing over 50% of their annual exports, we enjoy their premium cigars, aged rum and coffee while many still do not have a good understanding or even worse, a true appreciation of the back-breaking work and the daily struggles of the people that extend beyond the busy factories and sprawling tobacco fields. These humble, hard-working and relatively happy people dream of something better, something that will offer them improved quality of life, steady income, good health, confidence in their freedoms, trust in their country and provisions for their essential needs. Through tearful discussions and heartbreaking letters, Southern Draw has heard their stories and offers 300 HANDS as the voice of those who have asked us to deliver their message. It is our obligation to help our neighbors and we hope to allow the beauty and the endless possibilities of Nicaragua to flourish. Together we can secure a sense of contribution - even if only in a small way – to a great people as they attempt to unify and uplift their fellow countrymen. Please allow us to introduce 300 HANDS.

300 HANDS, is an all too real story of collaboration told through a "value" line of premium cigars from Southern Draw Cigars. The result of approximately 300 small steps and those hands producing nearly identical handmade rolled bundles of our patiently aged and naturally fermented tobaccos that we know as premium cigars. The process of hand making a premium cigar is a deliberate marriage of art and skill that has been passed down from generation to generation and our beloved Nicaragua, with its complex tobaccos and dedicated people, is now the most prominent supplier of this unique art form to the United States. 300 HANDS is a celebration of the most distinctive tobaccos born of Nicaragua’s special combination of soil, temperature and sunlight, each blended with complementary tobaccos from other growing regions offering a differing, yet refined processes and most notably, the tobacco stained hands that meticulously perform every step required to produce a Southern Draw cigar. It is the people of Nicaragua that we believe are now the backbone of this great industry.

The Mission.

300 HANDS will share premium cigars and honest stories of Nicaraguan people in a concerted effort to provide a hopeful future for at least some of these families by offering financial assistance in and around Esteli, Nicaragua. “We want to share this story with the masses and have initially priced this cigar line in a range of $5.99 - $6.49 while expanding our charitable giving strategy to Nicaragua. We hope to continue to distribute 25% of our profits to those Nicaraguans that offered us their honest stories and identified specific needs in and around their own communities,” per Sharon Holt of Southern Draw. 300 HANDS was unveiled at IPCPR 2018. “We hereby ask our valued retail and media partners to join us as we endeavor to share the stories of 300 Nicaraguan brothers and sisters, using their words, their emotions and their heartfelt pleas to help their neighbors. We have high hopes for a better Nicaragua as they fight to overcome decades old struggles that have just recently escalated into what has been deemed a “newsworthy” crisis, “ stated Robert Holt of Southern Draw. “They are 300 HANDS” and “this is their story”.