Francisco Matos Mancebo

Francisco Antonio Matos Mancebo, widely known as “The Tobacco Congressman,” is a Dominican cigar manufacturer, former legislator, industry advocate, columnist, and institutional leader whose relationship with tobacco began in an unexpected way.

Unlike many figures in the Dominican cigar industry, Matos was not born into a tobacco-growing or cigar-making family. He was raised in a Christian household and became an active member and youth leader within the Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana. He later served as President of the Asociación de Jóvenes de la Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana, an organization representing youth groups from more than 80 congregations across the country.

During his early life, Matos held strongly anti-smoking views. His introduction to the tobacco industry was therefore not the result of family tradition or a lifelong passion for cigars, but rather a professional responsibility connected to public service.

In 2004, Matos was appointed Special Assistant to the Executive Director of the Instituto del Tabaco de la República Dominicana, commonly known as INTABACO. He was assigned to establish and lead the institution’s Department of Cigar Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Piracy, which he directed for approximately two and a half years.

Under his leadership, the department became one of the first organized efforts in the Dominican Republic to confront the sale and distribution of counterfeit cigars. During this period, authorities confiscated and destroyed more than 54,000 boxes of fraudulent cigars, representing over one million individual units and an estimated market value of between US$2.5 million and US$3 million.

According to Matos, more than 80 percent of the confiscated products were counterfeit versions of prominent Cuban cigar brands, with Cohiba among the most frequently imitated. Many of these products were being sold to visitors in Dominican tourist destinations.

His work received international recognition. During the 2005 Festival del Habano in Cuba, Oscar Arias, then a senior executive at Habanos S.A., referred to Matos as the “Anti-Counterfeiting Czar,” a title that reflected his highly visible role in combating cigar fraud and protecting the credibility of the Caribbean tobacco industry.

Matos later served as a Congressman representing the Province of Santiago, one of the most important tobacco-producing regions in the Dominican Republic. During his legislative service, he became a consistent and outspoken defender of tobacco growers, cigar manufacturers, workers, exporters, and the broader economic and cultural importance of the industry.

His advocacy frequently placed him in opposition to proposals for highly restrictive anti-smoking legislation. Matos argued that tobacco policy should recognize the economic, agricultural, historical, and cultural significance of premium cigar production in the Dominican Republic, particularly in Santiago and surrounding communities.

He also worked to introduce legislation that would formally recognize tobacco and premium cigars as part of the cultural heritage of the Dominican Republic. Although the proposal was not permitted to advance during his own legislative terms, the concept was later enacted through Law 341-22, which declared tobacco and cigars part of the country’s cultural heritage.

His persistent defense of the sector earned him the nickname “The Tobacco Congressman.”

The Origin of Matos39

Matos’s personal appreciation for premium cigars began on October 19, 2005, fourteen days after his 39th birthday.

Several months earlier, a young cigar maker from Villa González had given him approximately five handmade cigars produced at an INTABACO training facility. Matos had kept them without smoking them. After previously declining a cigar during a visit to Cuba, he eventually decided to light one as a gesture of respect toward the person who had made it.

That experience changed his perception of tobacco. The aroma, flavor, and character of the Dominican leaves left a lasting impression and inspired him to search for the blend he had experienced that day.

From that moment, the concept of Matos39 was born. The name honors both his age and the first cigar he says he consciously appreciated rather than merely smoked.

Today, Francisco Matos is the founder and principal figure behind a portfolio of boutique cigar brands, including:

• Congressman 328

• Matos39

• Bad Cat

• Congressman Burn Edition

Congressman 328 takes its name from the office number Matos occupied during his service in the Dominican Congress, connecting his political career with his later work as a cigar entrepreneur.

He has also announced the development of additional cigar projects, including CHAN-CHAN and PIRULÍ 50 × 3.5, each with its own concept, format, and brand story.

Tobacco Communication and Education

In addition to manufacturing cigars, Matos has become an active communicator and educator on Dominican tobacco culture.

He has written columns and articles for several specialized publications and digital media outlets, including:

• Cigar Ambassador, published in Mandarin and English

• Humo Latino Magazine

• elcentinela.com.do

His work addresses the history, identity, production, cultural significance, consumption, and public perception of Dominican tobacco and premium cigars. Subjects he has explored include the Dominican origins of tobacco and cigars, the journey from the tobacco plant to the ashtray, cigar pairings, premium cigars and health, and the stigmatization of tobacco culture.

Matos has also participated in conferences and cultural presentations organized or supported by Dominican embassies and consulates across Europe, Morocco, Egypt, Dubai, and Puerto Rico.

Through these activities, he has sought to explain the differences between premium handmade cigars and other tobacco products while promoting a deeper understanding of the agricultural, artisanal, economic, and cultural dimensions of the Dominican cigar industry.

Industry Leadership

Matos serves as Technical Operations Director and a senior member of ADOCITAB, where he has participated in initiatives intended to strengthen and promote the Dominican cigar sector.

His institutional work has included support for industry events, trade activities, producer representation, and programs designed to connect manufacturers, exporters, distributors, retailers, media organizations, and cigar enthusiasts.

He is also the founder and current President of the Gran Alianza Nacional del Sector Tabaquero y Exportadores, known as GANASTE.

GANASTE was created to provide the Dominican tobacco industry with a stronger social, economic, and political voice. Its mission is to defend tobacco growers, cigar manufacturers, exporters, workers, and related businesses when proposed policies or public narratives threaten the industry without fully considering its national importance.

Matos has repeatedly emphasized that tobacco is one of the few Dominican agricultural products supported by a complete domestic industrial ecosystem, from cultivation and processing to manufacturing, packaging, export, tourism, and international distribution.

He also highlights the sector’s contribution to foreign-exchange income and employment, particularly in Santiago, Tamboril, Villa González, and other tobacco-producing communities.

Legacy and Industry Contribution

Throughout his career, Francisco Matos has supported small and medium-sized tobacco producers, boutique cigar manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and professionals seeking greater visibility and representation within the industry.

His work spans public service, anti-counterfeiting enforcement, legislation, manufacturing, communication, education, industry organization, and political advocacy.

Today, Francisco Antonio Matos Mancebo is recognized as one of the most distinctive voices in Dominican tobacco. His story is not that of someone born into cigar tradition, but of a former anti-smoking advocate whose public-service responsibilities led him to understand, defend, and eventually participate directly in one of the Dominican Republic’s most important cultural and export industries.

His trajectory reflects a transition from institutional responsibility to personal discovery, entrepreneurship, and national advocacy—a journey that ultimately earned him the enduring title of “The Tobacco Congressman.”