Casa Molina, the Baton Rouge based cigar brand and retailer, opened its new location today in New Orleans. The site, known as Casa Molina Cigar Manufactory and Maison, sits at 1716 St. Charles Avenue, just south of the Garden District and near the convention center that has hosted major industry events in recent years. For the moment it operates as a retail store, but the company intends to add cigar rolling there next year.
The Molina family has long planned to produce cigars in Louisiana. Permits have been sought for both the Baton Rouge headquarters and the new St. Charles site, with work expected to finish in phases during 2027. Each location will begin with two rollers. Luis Molina, principal of the company, indicated to Halfwheel that the Baton Rouge facility is further along in securing the required manufacturing permit from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Rolling is expected to start there early next year, while the New Orleans site is likely to follow by summer. The initial combined production target is 200,000 cigars per year.
Cigars rolled on St. Charles Avenue will primarily be available at the New Orleans store, including planned store exclusive brands and sizes. Production from Baton Rouge will support wholesale distribution to retailers nationwide. The New Orleans location also sits directly on the Uptown Mardi Gras parade route. In a press release, Luis Molina said, “St. Charles Avenue is where New Orleans wears its history proudly, and a great cigar carries its own. Every cigar tells a story: the leaf, the farm, the hands that rolled it. The Maison is a place to slow down, hear those stories and share a few of our own.” Co founder Roberto Molina added that the opening marks a proud moment after more than 16 years of building trust with Louisiana smokers and raising the family’s first generation American children in the city.
Separately, Casa Molina has been developing a line called Boeuf Gras, produced by Tabacalera La Isla in the Dominican Republic and featuring perique tobacco grown in St. James Parish. The name refers to a historical carnival tradition involving a large ox. The blend remains in development, and the line is expected to appear at the 2027 PCA Convention and Trade Show in New Orleans. According to reporting from Halfwheel, these steps mark a significant expansion for the Louisiana based operation into local manufacturing.
TLDR: Casa Molina opened its new flagship store on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans today and plans to begin rolling cigars at that location and its Baton Rouge headquarters next year, with a combined initial goal of 200,000 cigars annually.