With less than a decade in the market, Bribón Cigars is experiencing unprecedented success, achieving major milestones such as its third consecutive year at InterTabac—the world’s largest trade fair for the premium tobacco industry—broad recognition from the specialized press, and the upcoming release of an anniversary cigar featuring a truly exceptional blend.
Through these strides, the brand is poised to reposition Colombian tobacco and cigars as national icons, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with renowned domestic exports such as coffee, chocolate, and rum.
Juan Camilo Rodríguez is a 42-year-old Bogotá native who built his career in hospitality marketing—the sector where he first encountered the world of premium cigars back in 2007. A decade after that initial spark, he founded Bribón Cigars, a brand driven by the ambition to place Colombia firmly on the international tobacco map.
Brand building and communication have been among Juan Camilo’s passions and core talents from an early age. After completing high school in Miami, Florida, he returned to Colombia to study Business Administration before finalizing his professional education in Marketing in Montreal, Canada. It was there that his first job immersed him fully into the realm of luxury and hospitality.
After seven years abroad, he returned home to Colombia carrying an idea planted deep in his mind—one tied to the rich agricultural heritage that once placed tobacco at the very pinnacle of the nation’s exports, even surpassing coffee.
His initial thought was to import cigars from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic; however, a visit to the historic town of Barichara and the simple act of lighting a local cigar altered his perspective forever. Thus, since 2017, the goal has been to elevate Colombia to the international stage through Bribón Cigars—a name inspired by the audacity and bold character at the heart of the company’s ethos.
Production began in a modest workshop in Piedecuesta, Santander, utilizing Cubita Negra tobacco as its primary raw material—a leaf distinguished by its smoothness, alluring aromatic profile, and flawless burn.
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, far from becoming an obstacle, it proved to be a catalyst for growth. Juan Camilo partnered with Francis Gillis, a finance expert and current President of the brand. Together, in 2021, they launched a cultivation and export initiative for Cubita leaf, supplying major cigar-producing nations around the globe.
By 2024, the boutique factory evolved and relocated to Barichara, opening its doors to the public to offer immersive, educational experiences that nurture a reborn local tobacco culture. Complementing this facility is La Terraza del Bribón, an exclusive speakeasy in Usaquén, Bogotá, featuring a curated international selection of spirits, signature cocktails, house cigars, Habanos, and premium sticks from various origins.
Bribón Cigars boasts an extensive portfolio featuring classic vitolas:
- Perlas
- Robusto
- Belicoso
- Petit Corona (tailored specifically for the female demographic)
- Toro
- Churchill
- Torpedo (awarded 90 points and featured in the Top 5 by Cigar Lovers magazine)
Every vitola in this core lineup is crafted with Cubita Montes de María filler and binder, dressed in an Ecuadorian Habano 2000 wrapper.
Furthermore, to commemorate the brand’s eighth anniversary, Bribón is preparing the launch of Aurum Æternus, a masterfully crafted blend featuring Santander García filler, a Cubita binder, and a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper.
Bribón is an audacious brand committed to reviving an iconic national heritage, aiming to ensure that whenever a passion for fine cigars leads a smoker to think of Colombian tobacco, they do so thanks to Bribón.
“At Bribón Cigars, we are defined by rebellion, audacity, and an uncompromising devotion to craftsmanship and representing our homeland. That is why beneath our brand name you will always find the legend: República de Colombia“.
