With 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher and a second chapter in life as a representative for tobacco and accessory brands, Belkys Sánchez also boasts a rich background as a life coach, mother of two, cigar enthusiast, and advocate for tobacco culture. This diverse résumé positions her as one of the leading figures driving change in both society and the cigar industry.
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Born in Miami to Cuban parents and Spanish grandparents, Belkys Sánchez earned her degree in kindergarten and elementary education from Nova Southeastern University. For two decades, she worked as a teacher, witnessing firsthand the social and educational shifts in her city.
During this time, she became a mother, and today her eldest daughter is 26, while her son is 21. She shares that when her children began forging their own paths –first by attending college and then moving out– she found the opportunity to focus on a new career, fully immersing herself in the Tobacco World.
Premium cigars had always piqued her interest. In fact, she has long participated in various festivals across the United States and the Dominican Republic, where she enjoys the experiences and lifestyle that tobacco offers, particularly the camaraderie, friendship, and connections it fosters.
A Path Paved with Tobacco
Her first professional opportunity came after attending the Procigar Festival in the Dominican Republic, invited by Cigar Snob magazine. There, she was offered a position at Fuente The OpusX Society, working alongside designer Manny Iriarte. She describes this period as spectacular, filled with opportunities to connect with numerous industry luminaries.
“It was a transition from education to tobacco culture, through accessories.” However, a year later, this path led her to the French company Eli Bleu –also specializing in accessories– from which she decided to move toward the industry’s star product: the cigar.
This next step materialized at Crowned Heads, a company based in Nashville, Tennessee, where she gained the experience needed to later reposition herself in the South Florida and Puerto Rico markets by signing a contract with Rocky Patel Premium Cigars.
These roles broadened her perspective: “From the outside, it all looks like parties and smoking all day, but it’s a complex industry that requires a lot of work and attention to detail, logistics, and sales.”
A Woman Who Smokes
In 2004, an Arturo Fuente Destino al Siglo ignited her passion, “and as Cubans say, I developed a taste for it.” For Belkys, smoking was a social activity, a reason to host weekly dinners at home with friends, where everyone brought a couple of bottles of wine and cigars.
From that time, she recalls the prohibition against women entering cigar lounges or shops –a taboo that marked her experience. These were the years when the industry and market were experiencing the final phase of the cigar boom that began in the 1990s, primarily in the United States.
“In my mind, my reaction was to ask, ‘How is this possible? Why?’ I was 24, already a mother to a little girl, and I thought about what it would mean if my daughter were denied something. What came out of my mouth is something I can’t repeat…”
Her relationship with cigars became more personal, moving away from public smoking and confined to her private life. Yet, she never stopped encouraging other women to explore the enjoyment of premium cigars.
“It wasn’t something I did in front of my children because they were young, but I did smoke in front of other women who found it strange. Still, I offered them small cigars that were sold at the time. Since it was taboo, women were afraid of being judged.”
One thing she has always maintained throughout her career as an educator is that the only constant is change –personal, professional, economic, social, and so on. Change that she has been a protagonist of, alongside many other women who, through hard work, have carved out a place in the industry and opened doors for others to join.
Support networks among women have been crucial in solidifying this change, and Belkys, through videos shared on social media and other initiatives, is a testament to the strength these platforms represent in amplifying female empowerment.
“Family is always an important topic for women. How do I see these networks? Precisely as a family of professional women who connect to foster a sense of belonging and share experiences, knowledge, and support, both within and outside the industry.”
Today, Belkys looks back on those years of prohibition and wonders what life must have been like for the women who lived through them from start to finish. “Because I can’t imagine someone telling me ‘no’ today,” she concludes with a laugh.
