São Félix
Brazilian roots
When company founder Geraldo Dannemann established his cigar factory in the Brazilian province of Bahia in 1872, he set his sights on one particular location: São Félix.
When company founder Geraldo Dannemann established his cigar factory in the Brazilian province of Bahia in 1872, he set his sights on one particular location: São Félix.
Located directly on the bank of the Rio Paraguaçu, the town offered – and continues to offer – several advantages, situated as it is in the region known as the Recôncavo at the gateway to an area that has been important for tobacco-growing for centuries. At the heart of this area lies the micro-region known as Mata Fina. The town on the opposite bank of the river, Cachoeira, offered an outstanding infrastructure, and in those days the Rio Paraguaçu was the best trading route to the capital, Salvador da Bahia, from where the cigars and tobacco were shipped to Europe.
São Félix remains “Dannemann City,” the homeland of the internationally prestigious DANNEMANN brand, to this day. This heritage can be seen at the CENTRO CULTURAL DANNEMANN, the cultural center and with its cigar factory. It is housed in the first building used by Geraldo Dannemann. It was completely restored in the 1980s and has been one of the biggest tourist attractions in the entire Recôncavo ever since.
The Town Hall, the railway bridge and numerous buildings in São Félix are further legacies of the cigar pioneer, whose company was awarded the title of “Imperial Tobacco Factory” by the Emperor of Brazil at the time. The inhabitants of São Félix remain proud of this distinction, and of the historic visit of Emperor Dom Pedro II connected with it.
What started in 1872 is still alive today. After undergoing various processing phases, some of the cigar tobacco grown in the pleasant climate of the Mata Fina region ends up in São Félix, where Geraldo Dannemann was already able to call on accomplished cigar rollers in the 19th century.
Nothing has changed in this respect to this day. In the original company building, romantically located directly on riverbank, long-filler cigars continue to be rolled by experienced hands. And the product of these experienced hands continues to delight cigar connoisseurs all over the world.