The Cigar Dream Team
Date: November 1, 2009Publisher: Southern Cigar Lifestyle
Author: Kevin Moore
Birmingham, Alabama
Download this press
Description:
Back in August SCL Editor Kevin Moore had the pleasure of spending a few hours with
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, JR [EPC] and his daughter Lissette [LPC] and son Ernesto Perez-
Carrillo, III (ERNIE). This was during the IPCPR convention in New Orleans. We sat in
the garden of the Ritz Carlton and talked about the new company they have started as a
family. By the end of the conversation, SCL collectively dubbed them the Cigar Dream
Team. Ernie was educated and Stanford and spent time as a business and investment
consultant and Lissette is an attorney from Columbia Law and practiced for several years
in New York. Of course Ernesto is well-known in the cigar industry for being the master
behind La Gloria Cubana and El Rico Habano brands.
SCL: Tell me a little about your new company.
EPC: The new company is EPC Cigar Company. Basically, when I left General Cigar in
March I was thinking of coming to Miami and opening a cigar shop. I thought about
maybe doing a boutique cigar line or make cigars for other people. Just about the time I
started making my plans, my two kids came up and they started getting excited about the
project and they suggested that we do this on our own, rather than me go out and make
cigars for other people. That is basically how we started the company, with Ernie, Lissette
and myself. Each of them had their own professions, and they were willing to give that
up for this project.
SCL: When did the conversations start?
LPC: We started talking about it back in August of last year (2008). We started talking
about what our commitment levels would be to the project and if we were willing to
make a change in our professional goals. We always wanted to do something with him,
but I always had something going on, or my brother, who is much younger, always had
something going on.
ERNIE: I think that dad was planning to take some vacation after leaving General. My
sister and I were so anxious, we were like, NO, we, are starting right now. We got to the
point where we were wondering if we were overworking our father.
LPC: Literally, his contract with General was over March the 15th, and he was on a
plane on the 16th to Nicaragua. Read more





