Legacy of José Gabriel Cruz, El Chan…
After the irreparable loss of José Gabriel Cruz Ayala, El Chan, La Resistencia remains in Puerto Rico under the leadership of his partner and wife, Liz Janice López de la Rosa; a woman with extensive academic training and certified in her country as a Tobacco Artisan, she is also passionate about this industry, willing to maintain and increase its legacy.
She is not alone. She is accompanied by her children Gael, Daniela and Ámbar, her mother, her parents in-law, the cousin Jonathan and many other people who carry in their hands the teachings of El Chan, whose generosity allowed them to lay the foundations to continue with the work and carry the movement forward which he led, in search of the resurgence of the sector and tobacco on the island.
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A dream come true
Seeking order at this stage, Liz Janice found a notebook in which, together with Gaby, she wrote down their plans, expectations and objectives for the future. Among them stood out not only attending, but also being exhibitors at the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) trade show; goal that they reached at the beginning of this year as the last activity in which she participated with her husband.
“(Gaby’s) biggest dream was to go to the PCA and we achieved it,” says Liz Janice, who explains that with this last trip to Las Vegas, La Hoja del Chan became the first brand established and manufactured in Puerto Rico that, as such, has been presented at the most important tobacco event in the US market.
The next step is to obtain a totally Puerto Rican cigar, which is currently in process because the land is barely yielding the necessary fruits: “we have a cigar with some of our own leaf, but it is still complemented with raw materials from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.”
According to Liz Janice, Gaby’s plans remain intact, and among them is the production of a cigar with leaves produced in Caguas and Barceloneta, probably for 2027. “It is one of the things that was left in the inkpot, and now that “He’s gone, it’s my turn.”
These notes also preserve the brand’s blends –which they know very well because both she and Jonathan, Gaby’s cousin, have been involved in the manufacturing–, which ensures that the essence of El Chan will remain in the manufacturing of each cigar, the same way his face will remain in the core line image.
Regarding Galiz, this brand will continue as Liz Janice’s flagship. “Everything will remain the same, but instead of having him physically, we will carry him in spirit and memory,” she says.
Resistance in the flesh
Along with her grief, the last few weeks have stand for a lot of work for Liz Janice. Reaping the fruits of that fulfilled dream, it meets the commitments made at the PCA, to receive and fill orders, and responds to public requests. The fight for tobacco in Puerto Rico continues, because as she says, after Gaby’s departure, her nine-year-old son Gael asked her to “continue with dad’s business, and that gives me the strength to move forward,” she says.
She knows both the business field and the tobacco industry, because in addition to the passion transmitted by Gaby, she has had to assume full responsibility for the business at different times –forced by circumstances–. All of this led her to obtain, in May 2022, a certification as an Artisan (roller) from the Government of her country, which she added to her professional training in Psychology and postgraduate degrees in Management and Business.
Accompanied by what she calls “a battalion” made up of family, friends and artisans –many of them even trained by Gaby, and calling themselves Los Hijos de la Hoja de El Chan–, Liz Janice argues that the business was always theirs, “and that is why it is easy for me to continue working.”
During the interview, held via Zoom, we shared different emotional moments. She responds, for example, that she has had to carry the flag of La Resistencia in the flesh.” And she explains: “It means not falling, or getting up in the face of adversity, no matter what happens… your dreams will always drive you and you will stay alive, whether you are on this Earth or not.
“That’s resisting, and he (Gaby) taught us to do it. Because when everyone asked him ‘sell cigars, make cigars in Puerto Rico? But are you crazy?’, he kept going. When he said we were going to PCA and we saw it very far away… and he achieved it. Even if people tell you no, or you stumble, if your ideals are clear and firm, that is La Resistencia.”
Caguas Central Square
Among the changes planned for the company was moving the factory and Cigar Lounge to larger premises, with some advantages for visitors. However, Liz Janice decided to maintain its current location, in the Caguas Central Square, where the space will be adapted “to taste a cigar, accompanied by the nostalgia for Gaby’s presence.” In the workshop, production of its core lines and private ones with which there are prior commitments will continue, as well as orders for weddings and events.
Next up, in Galiz’s case, will be the release of a mix she received in a sudden thought while driving. “I was driving and it came to me… I took advantage of a red light to call and give directions to Jonathan, who didn’t believe where my inspiration had come from. But he wrote everything down and now we are doing tests for this new cigar,” she says.
Another project that will have to wait its time is the Escuela de Torcedores de El Chan (El Chan Rollers School), as Liz Janice analyzes the possibility of giving it a twist and creating a Foundation, through which free courses are provided to people who want to delve into this culture. and thus preserve the essence of Puerto Rican tobacco as Gaby’s legacy.
In this regard, Liz shares that before their trip to the PCA 2024, together with Gaby she prepared a manual and gathered some artisans, who served as teachers and used it in the instruction of a group of new cigar rollers.
The brand’s regular catalog will remain intact, including artisanal humidors, core line cigars, the Galiz and special editions such as the El Chan Pig (Pigtail), for the holiday season, and the Big Bro, a special full flavor San Andrés wrapper blend, which although it will not be present all year round, will have its seasons to go on sale.
Gaby’s legacy
El Chan Cigars are part of the rescue of a tradition that involves the great history of Puerto Rico in the Tobacco World, from its times as a Spanish colony, to its incorporation as a free associate to the United States and the subsequent decline of the industry.
We are talking, then, about the first local brand that ventures to compete with the big ones, offering cigars with many qualities and quality manufacturing materialized in pieces made with love, which leave from the Isla del Encanto to North America and the rest of the world.
As Liz Janice states, there are many cigars and brands, but La Hoja del Chan is Puerto Rican and Gaby’s pride was to bring homeland and culture through tobacco, which well summarizes one of the brand’s mottos: In all of our families, there is a story of tobacco. “This means that if we investigate, in every corner of Puerto Rico we will find someone who once brought home a living thanks to this industry.”
A lost tradition that El Chan was in charge of rescuing; mission that now falls into Liz Janice and her entire family: “Ours are the cigars that every tourist brings back with them,” since their distribution begins in the country’s airports, in addition to their growing presence in stores and Cigar Lounges in Connecticut, Lakeland and Miami, in addition to the website www.lahojadelchan.com and the social networks Instagram @lahojadelchanpr and Facebook La Hoja Del Chan.
Sky is the limit
After a successful participation in the PCA trade show, which implied its incorporation into the historical record of the event, for La Hoja del Chan sky is the limit. As a result, there is an extensive list of contacts to call, orders to fill and commitments to attend to, always with dedication. For Liz Janice “it is a bittersweet feeling. “I see a spectacular future that should have been shared with him, but I will now reach it with my children.”
In fulfilling this mission, the company maintains a united family, in which each member has their obligations, whether ringing or attending a live rolling event, playing the role of boncheros or applying the wrapper, which for the moment will be exclusive task of her and the cousin Jonathan. In their case, Los Hijos de la Hoja del Chan, as experienced rollers, have expressed their willingness and unconditional support –if required– to safeguard the legacy of Gaby, their teacher and friend.
Liz Janice believes that all of these achievements would not have been reeached without her husband’s passion for this industry, and his absence does not mean that the love with which he did his work changes or disappears. “Now it is up to me to show that women are also La Resistencia and in this world –where things are usually complicated for them–, we can be in charge of a tobacco company and do the same, or even improve the way the business was developing.”
She argues that before lighting a cigar, many female hands intervened in some of its processes, and that currently it is a common theme for them to occupy management positions in different companies.
She knows very well the importance of what it means to sit at a rolling table, give a great show during an event or make the best cigar in a workshop. “Gaby is no longer there… Now La Resistencia has a woman’s face, and not a goatee’s beard.”
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† JOSÉ GABRIEL CRUZ AYALA, El Chan (1981-2024), passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada, US on March 26, a few hours after the end of the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) trade show. As a member of an industry that he loved, he not only fulfilled one of his greatest dreams, but also left his family a business that will continue to advance –as he himself knew how to do: “let’s live one cigar at a time.”
