First orientation - and amazement

My day couldn't have started any better: I have papayas for breakfast, my favorite fruit.

Well fortified, I set off on my adventure - I'm curious to see what I remember from my factory internship five years ago. I wonder if it's like swimming or riding a bike and you can't unlearn it. The five weeks were probably too short back then and much of the manual work will have been forgotten.

I am picked up by the boss himself - Hauke Luckow, General Manager of Arnold André Dominicana, shuttles me through the morning traffic chaos of Santiago. The situation has become even worse since 2019 because the city is bursting with construction sites.

Hauke explains to me that there is a lot of construction going on because the city is flourishing (through the textile and cigar industry, but objects for medical needs are also produced here) and growing and public transport is being expanded. I can't believe it: we turn a corner and I see a cable car with red gondolas. It could just as well be on the Ski resort Arlberg... public transportation is being moved upwards.

Hauke, born in Hamburg, spent many years in Paraguay and has lived in Santiago since 2015. He is therefore already familiar with local customs and is sceptical as to whether people will accept the new form of transportation or whether they will still prefer to use the conchos, the shared cabs. In any case, the gondolas float empty through the air...

Surprisingly quickly, we find ourselves in the Zona Franca Victor M. Espaillat. The factory is in good company, with the Arturo Fuente factory opposite.

Hauke shows me “my” office, where I can do a bit of office work over the next few days. That's great! Cigars are already there.

The boss himself takes a lot of time for me and shows me the entire factory, first we walk through the immense bobbin hall (there are 124 machines here); these are used in two shifts.

"Even if it looks like stupid machine work, it requires skill," Hauke explains to me and continues: "It's like cutting out the pastry when baking Christmas cookies. You have to have a good eye and be able to judge how and where to cut out the wrapper.”

250 million cuts are produced here every year; every two weeks they are shipped to Germany where they are processed into Arnold André cigarillos. These 250 million pieces are then used as wrappers for 500 million cigarillos (brands such as Clubmaster, Vasco da Gama or Handelsgold). This constitutes the majority of production here: machine-made leaves for the cigarillos, which are then finished in Germany. You can see the machines in the movie.

Arnold André Dominicana employs a total of 450 workers, 60 of whom work in the long filler area.

1.5 million long fillers are produced each year - and 10 million short fillers.

Over a Buena Vista Incognito, which by the way tastes great - powerful but harmonious - Hauke tells me about his time in Paraguay at a subsidiary of Universal Tobacco, where he was also General Manager.

As we say goodbye, I meet Amarilla, the factory dog and also the mascot of all the employees, who have lovingly adopted her and look after her.

A wonderful, exciting day comes to an end - tomorrow I'll try my luck in the long filler department... the supreme discipline...

Cheers to you all with a gin and tonic from the hotel terrace.