Why La Romana?
In 1917, the South Puerto Rico Sugar Co. built the massive Central Romana mill, which became La Romanas largest employer, and created a pool of talented, educated and trainable personnel made up of mostly women. In the 1960s, the South Puerto Rico Sugar Co. became part of the huge conglomerate Gulf Western Corp. With a wealth of talented people available for employment, Gulf Western established a free-trade zone in La Romana in 1969. Before acquiring the South Puerto Rico Sugar Co., Gulf Western purchased Consolidated Cigar. Also in the 1960s Gulf Western acquired Compania Insular Tabacalera Pepe Garcia factory in the Canary Islands. In 1974, Consolidated Cigar hired Seijas, a recent graduate in industrial engineering from Santiagos Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, to work in Consolidated Domingo Corp., a Consolidated Cigar subsidiary, located at the Gulf Western free zone. Consolidated sent all of its leaf to La Romana, where it was sorted, graded and then shipped to e
