Photo: Juan Pablo Carreras/CNA

Cigar Company in Holguin Uses Waste to Diversify Production

The Lázaro Peña Cigar Company in Holguin province, part of the Tabacuba Group, is maximizing the use of industrial waste to diversify production and reduce raw material acquisition costs.

Following the principle of the circular economy as a core element of its management. The company operates a reconstituted tobacco plant, the first of its kind in the country. Dedicated to transforming waste from the Criollos cigarette manufacturing process. Including dust and the central vein of the leaf, into a new reusable product, Alexis Heredia Domínguez, senior technologist, told CNA.

The combination of these elements yields a profitable, environmentally friendly. Low-cost raw material that is integrated into the production cycle as an additional component in the cigar blend. Providing weight and volume while replacing other inputs with similar characteristics.

Also this work is fundamental to the sector’s sustainability. As it not only maximizes the value of the two main industrial waste products. But also optimizes the use of agricultural land by enabling the formulation of effective mixtures that reduce the demand for new planting areas, he stated.

Currently, the company is collaborating with the universities of Holguin and Moa on the development of products. Such as tabaquina, an insecticide derived from tobacco leaf dust, with the aim of using it in local food programs.

This waste has also proven effective when transformed into compost used to fertilize the company’s gardens and plots. Which contribute to the self-sufficiency of the workers’ cafeteria and benefit the workers and their families.

Heredia Domínguez added that the leftover paper from the manufacturing process is also recycled and used to create educational materials for the children at the Los Criollitos Children’s Center. An institution that has been operating for nearly 20 years.

The Lázaro Peña company boasts significant recognition for its management. Including the Republic of Cuba’s Quality Award, which it has received twice. As well as distinctions in the Light Industry and Innovation categories at the Expo Caribe 2025 International Fair.

With information from CNA

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