The renegotiation of distribution agreements in Europe began after the divorce announced last August between the Dominican brand and Meerapfel Söhne.

 

The game has begun to reshuffle, just over two months after the break in relations between Arturo Fuente and Meerapfel Söhne.

Alexis Aazam Zanganeh has announced that his company, Great O Legacy Distribution & Co (G.O.L.D. & Co), is now the exclusive distributor of Arturo Fuente cigars in Switzerland.

“My new company (…) has been granted the privilege of importing and distributing the premium Arturo Fuente cigar brand exclusively for the Swiss national territory,” he wrote on LinkedIn.

Until last August, outside of the United States and the Dominican Republic, all local importers of Fuente cigars had to source them from Arturo Fuente International, an entity run by the Meerapfel family in Belgium. But on August 15, Carlito Fuente announced the end of the “distribution relationship” between the two family businesses, without providing further explanation.

In Switzerland, the distribution of Fuente cigars was previously handled by FUME, a subsidiary of Meerapfel in the Swiss Confederation.

G.O.L.D & Co is currently building up both its initial stock and its staff. Alexis Aazam Zanganeh expects to be able to make its first deliveries to Swiss tobacconists at the end of January 2026.

Alexis Aazam Zanganeh also owns La Couronne cigar shop in Nyon, Switzerland and the La Casa del Habano franchise in the same city. He is also one of the creators of the Calibre Genève cigar brand.

“Arturo Fuente is a driving force, our industry needs brands like that,” says the man who, with the La Couronne group, considers himself “a major and historical player in Arturo Fuente in Europe.”

 

Kopp Tobacco confirmed in Germany

Furthermore, Peter Witzke, Managing Director of Kopp Tobacco GmbH, announced to L’Amateur that his company has been confirmed as the exclusive distributor for Germany.

“We will have direct delivery from the Fuente factory [in the Dominican Republic] and continue to distribute the Arturo Fuente brand in Germany,” he stated.