At 66 years old, Doña Carmen María Vázquez is an example of a resilient woman –like so many within this industry– who demonstrates that experience is not accumulated in vain, but serves as a pillar of support, both for oneself and for others.
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Originally from Estelí, Nicaragua, she began working at the age of 14 at the Nicaragua Cigars factory –now Joya de Nicaragua– driven by the needs of a family of four siblings, where her mother worked as a domestic servant.
Carmen was responsible for sorting and packing cigars, a task she performed for over a decade before moving to Estelí Cigars. It was there that Don Enrique Kiki Berger saw her potential and placed her in charge of the packing area for the new company.
She performed various tasks, even on the farm, and her permanence and dedication allowed for the birth of a personal relationship that makes her part of a great tobacco family. This bond transcended the passing of Don Kiki, who had placed his trust in her to manage the factory and take responsibility for supervising every process.
Since then, Carmen arrives very early to stay informed of any issues that arose during the final hours of the previous day. Once resolved, she has her first cup of coffee, which accompanies the inventory of materials and the staff roster –which includes a hundred people in the main factory, another 70 in an auxiliary facility, and the farm workers.
Of the total workforce, more than 60 percent are women who perform tasks such as packing, rolling, and administration, leaving the heavier labor in the curing barns, fermentation piles (pilones), or the bunching of leaves to the men.
Doña Carmen also oversees international shipments, coordinating every action with an accountant to fulfill all orders contained in a folder brimming with requests from the Czech Republic, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Hungary, Sweden, China, Cyprus, Italy, the United States, and Israel, among other countries.
Everything she possesses is the fruit of her work at Estelí Cigars, and she feels fulfilled and proud of her career. “It has been an honor for me. I built my house and put my daughter through medical school, among many other things. To Karen, we are not workers, but family, and she makes us feel that way.”
She affirms that Karen Berger is an example of an empowered woman who has grown the company, and remembers that after Don Kiki’s death, she personally traveled to Miami to offer her support.
“Many believed back then that the lands and the factory were going to disappear, but I brought her back from Miami to resolve administrative matters, to plant, to harvest –and not a single meter of land has been sold. We women are true fighters.”
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