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Alain Fauchier

“Tobacco is a wonderful plant. I get fascinated by its resiliency and its ability to develop different aromas depending on the agro-climatic conditions of the location it’s grown in.”

The man who uttered these remarks is “well-planted” on Cuban soil and strongly committed since an early age to the ups and downs of the aromatic leaf. Born in 1953 in southwestern France, this gentleman boasts great knowledge when it comes to Habanos. Today, he’s in charge of the Quality Control Division at Habanos S.A. and is willing to answer the questions that Excellences magazine has asked him at the threshold of the 9th Habano Festival.

Excellences: How did you first get in touch with the world of tobacco and cigars? AF: My parents were peasants and were in charge of a black tobacco farm. My vacations were mostly devoted to pitch them a hand with the growing process. I took a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and later on I studied gardening. In 1976, I enrolled in SEITA, the national tobacco company, to cater to growing and the purchase of the nation’s output. In 1987, I was handpicked to join the international purchase team of loose tobacco, and that was also the year when I first came to Cuba –it had been a dozen years since SEITA had last bought any tobacco from Cuba. In 1989, I was assigned to work on Colombian cigars with the same goal in mind, and from there I moved to Brazil, the U.S., the Dominican Republic and Thailand.

Excellences: When did you actually start your relationship with Habanos in Cuba? AF: My job got going with a couple of annual stints in Cuba and two others in Colombia until SEITA’s President decided to give me a representation post in an office that we opened here back in 1996. My job consisted of coordinating and easing negotiations to set up a mechanized cigar factory, in addition to keeping an eye on the selection of loose tobacco and the deliveries of hand-rolled stogies. In 1999, SEITA and Spain’s TABACALERA merged and founded the ALTADIS Group. A few months later, this group got the green light to play a part in Habanos S.A. and I was told to work for that company. At the onset I juggled a few hats at the same time, but later on I zeroed in on loose tobacco and hand-rolled cigars. In 2002, Habanos S.A. opened the Quality Control Division and I was appointed chief of that group. I’ve been holding down that post since then.

Excellences: What elements shape the concept of quality in the case of Habanos? AF: The front office rests on two major underpinnings which are the cigar quality and claim follow-up. The latter has been computerized, a move that lets us keep tabs on all claims and follow up those complaints with their own stats and all. We’ve also put together a quality management system under the company’s ISO 9001 certification that must be ready to go in the first half of this year. Responsibility here hinges on the planning of quality control actions for Habanos, based on contractual terms and conditions between the industry and Habanos S.A. We’re running a piece of software that guarantees that all tobacco lots are subjected to quality control. We can do that through standard control files. The interesting side here is that outcomes and complaints are relayed to us immediately in a bid to mend shortcomings and deficiencies. As a matter of fact, the number of technical experts paid to guarantee good control execution has climbed fourfold.

Excellences: How do you see the realm of Habanos faring worldwide and where is Habanos S.A. ranked out there? AF: To me, tobacco is a wonderful plant. I get fascinated by its resiliency and its ability to develop different aromas depending on the agro-climatic conditions of the location it’s grown in. In the case of Habanos, the aromas they give off are really the finest on the face of the earth, even their finesse and complexities are unique. They’re up to par with the world’s finest liquors, chocolates and coffees; the only difference is that they’re cigars. That makes Habano a highly coveted commodity everywhere under the sun. In a world where everything is going increasingly impersonal, where more individuals are amassing bigger fortunes, in which the concept of luxury has changed and the need for identity accrues, His Majesty the Habano is no doubt the king, and Habanos S.A. has always been the world’s leading company in the business.

Excellences: What can you say about the company’s brand-new warehouse in Guanabacoa? AF: It’s indeed a new warehouse for hand-rolled cigars. The first Habanos have been stored there since August 2005. With this storage facility we guarantee the preservation of products in three huge air-conditioned chambers and we slash the risk of plagues by freezing all products that get to the warehouse. All operations there are backed up by their own software. Its nearly 10,764 square yards of surface make it the world’s largest hand-rolled cigar storage facility, large enough to stash away as many as 50 million units.

Excellences: How would you define your current job and what plans do you have in store? AF: Perseverance in the achievements and ever-growing quality for our products. Make everybody aware of the fact that we’re working for a deluxe, exceptional product, one of Cuba’s most faithful ambassadors. As to the future, I want to stay in Habanos S.A. a few more years, and that’s something I feel very proud of. It’s a great responsibility and a major commitment. As to those years still ahead of me, I want to use them to improve my concept of what quality is really all about, be aware of the need to improve the product and start training the personnel, so that I can pass more and more of my responsibilities on to them. Once I get this job done and my replacement is ready to roll, I’d love to grow a patch of uncovered tobacco in a farm close to Alejandro Robaina’s… and pass my knowledge on to future generations.