Tobacco Businesswoman of the year, 2021
Women’s day and women’s month.
Why do we celebrate women’s day and women’s month?
Because it is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate every woman in our lives. Of course, we should focus on it daily, but women’s month allows us to highlight women being incredible.
One of the current women’s themes is Gender equality.
A focus on gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.
We spotlight women doing remarkable work in the tobacco industry this month.
The legacy continues……….
If you think of Karen Berger, three powerful words define her.
Passion, Loyalty and Courage
2021 Tobacco Businesswoman of the Year.
We are very proud to support Karen Berger and her fantastic brands of cigars, K by Karen Berger and Don Kiki cigars.
The Tabacalera factory produces Karen Berger and Don Kiki cigars. The factory, Located in Esteli, Nicaragua, belongs to Karen Berger. It is home to K by Karen Berger and Don Kiki Cigars.
K by Karen Berger is a Nicaraguan puro produced at her factory. The tobacco used in the K by Karen blends comes from her tobacco farm in Nicaragua. Karen’s favourite format for the K series is box-pressed cigars.
She is a triple threat in the cigar industry. She commands attention as a retailer, brand owner and tobacco grower. A women with business savvy and a dedicated work ethic.
Meeting Don Kiki
Don Kiki started his cigar factory and business in the 1990s in Nicaragua. He worked with private labels before creating his brand, named Don Kiki Cigars.
Berger entered the tobacco industry when she was 18 years young and living in Nicaragua. While studying business administration, she looked for a job to support her study costs. She got a job in a local cigar factory.
Karen started in the production area of the factory, rolling tobacco. The men were bunching tobacco for the cigars. It was a typical job for a woman working in a factory.
After a year in the factory, Berger met the factory’s owner, Don Kiki. They fell in love and later married.
“Don Kiki Berger was an amazing and wonderful person.”
He wanted to help everybody. He was a big guy with a big heart in the Industry.
Karen Berger has spent recent years building on what her husband started. Every cigar pays tribute to her husband and her love for tobacco.
It’s a love story.
Karen Berger start as a cigar brand owner.
Rolling cigars is challenging, especially with delicate wrappers that damage easy. Every operation has some difficult parts. The rolling experience taught Karen a lot about cigars. Today Karen is more involved in the factory, blending her cigars.
“It’s the part of the process that I love a lot.”
At the time of her husband’s passing, Don Kiki Cigars consisted of four blends. The Don Kiki brand has since expanded with two extra combinations Karen introduced.
She also started K by Karen Berger.
There are two different versions of the cigar. One with a Habano wrapper and the other that features a Maduro wrapper.
She introduced the blends in 2016. Karen Berger used all the knowledge she learned from her husband to bring her cigars to the market.
Entering the Cigar world with determination
Karen Berger oversees a multi-tiered tobacco business. The business includes a growing tobacco operation, a cigar factory and a retail store in Daytona Beach, Florida.
One of the most challenging parts of her business is tobacco growing. It made her very nervous and came with a lot of pressure. Starting to grow tobacco is a huge economic responsibility.
She funded her first crop with her own money, which required a bit of a sacrifice. Learning to manage crops and the factory liabilities are big obstacles to master. Karen Berger overcame hurdles by relying on the team around her and by asking for advice.
Karen Berger
“I am always open to learning something new.”
Karen Berger also commits herself to learning retail. She works to use her business and influence to help create opportunities. The Don Kiki Cigars Superstore, located in Daytona Beach, gives Karen firsthand experience of what her consumers buy and enjoy.
The store has a unique collection of cigar products. The lounge and ocean view is a must-visit destination for many cigar enthusiasts.
Berger loves collaborations and forming close relationships with other cigar producers. She respects the Perdomo and Fuente families. Gaby Kafie is also among her biggest supporters. Jonathan Drew, the founder of Drew Estate, is another close friend she respects.
Women in the Cigar world
Berger looks toward other women in the Industry for inspiration. She admires both Liana Fuente and Cynthia Fuente. Karen admires Janine Perdomo as a businesswoman and her support of her husband’s business.
“I am happy for all the support I receive from many women cigar smokers. I also like to support different women who are manufacturers and have their brands.”
In cigar factories, more than seventy per cent of the workers are women. Today women are more involved as manufacturers and as smokers than ever before. Women are educating themselves about tobacco, cigars and the tobacco business.
Berger is a big advocate for women in the cigar industry.
Cigar business and overcoming challenges
Karen Berger has the determination to succeed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Berger saw an opportunity to strengthen her business. She launched a new website and e-commerce operation that increased her retail business.
Producing a cigar from seed to shelf requires a lot of work and sacrifice. Respecting the seed and the process is one detail every cigar smoker could benefit to learn. Berger wishes more people would respect the process and time it takes to bring each cigar to the market.
Karen Burger's Business dream come true.
“If you have a dream, you have to chase after it.” But know that it won’t happen quick.
Mistakes will happen, but that leads to valuable lessons from every error. Owning a tobacco business comes with its risks and challenges.
She’s hard at work on new projects. There are new blends for both Don Kiki and K by Karen Berger on the way.
Karen wants people to know she approaches each cigar with detail, passion and patience.
To order K by Karen Berger or Don Kiki cigars,
Click the link below to place your order with Warren.
K by Karen Berger 25th Anniversary by AJ Fernandez
A new exciting cigar. When two formidable figures collaborate, the result is a winner.
Handmade in Nicaragua, the K by Karen Berger 25th Anniversary by AJ Fernandez. A cigar crafted to celebrate the brand’s quarter century of creating fine cigars.
The medium-bodied cigar has a creamy profile. The celebration cigar has notes of spice and sweetness. It’s a USA Connecticut Habano Maduro wrapper that covers a Mexican San Andres binder and a Nicaraguan filler.
The K by Karen Berger 25th Anniversary by AJ Fernandez is a full-bodied smoke with many transitions. The new cigar is a long-awaited collaboration between two cigar legends. The unique cigar brings out the best of both master blenders. Made at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez for Karen Berger.
The cigar’s name highlights the 25-plus years of Karen, and her late husband, Don Kiki, in the business. Farming neighbour in Estelí, AJ Fernandez, makes the perfect collaborator.
The new cigar from Karen Berger will have a limited production of 1500 boxes and will only come in one vitola, a 6 x 52 toro.
Pre-order with Warren today to order K by Karen Berger 25th Anniversary by AJ Fernandez.
Click the link below to place your order with Warren.
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