About us
One leader, one mission
Headquartered in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and led by founder Mr. Ahmed Zaidan, Casa DR Cigars unites the top Dominican brands under one roof — a new era for Dominican cigars in the Middle East.
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Santiago, Dominican Republic
CASA DR CIGARS is headquartered in Santiago de los Caballeros, in the Dominican Republic's tobacco country — a house founded and led by Ahmed Zaidan.
First branch
Qatar · 2021
The first Casa DR branch opened in Qatar in 2021 — the house's first home beyond the island.
Mission
To carry the Dominican Republic to the world — and bring the world home to it.
Casa DR Cigars exists to make people want to see our island. We chose cigars because a cigar travels where an advertisement cannot — into the hands of people with the taste to recognise craft, the patience to sit with it, and the means to follow it back to its source. Every cigar we place is a piece of the Dominican Republic, and an invitation to come and see the rest.
What we are really sharing
01
The energy
A country that works, moves, plays and welcomes at full volume.
02
The people
The farmers, the torcedores, the families whose hands shaped what you are holding.
03
The peace
The valleys, the mornings, the quiet that sits behind all that energy.
04
The opportunity
An island still being built, open to anyone who comes to build with it.
How we do it
We unite the finest Dominican houses under one roof. We carry them into markets that have never known them. We build the rooms where people first encounter them. And in every one of those rooms we are saying the same thing: this came from somewhere — come and see it.
Vision
Redefine global cigar culture by becoming the world’s leading Dominican cigar house, recognised for heritage, craftsmanship, cultural depth and luxury retail experiences.
The cigar is the invitation. The Dominican Republic is the destination.
Our positioning
The first and only cigar house in the region dedicated solely to the Dominican Republic’s tobacco legacy.
Brand and factory appointed, and the only house with the operational muscle to grow it internationally. We sell heritage, not inventory.
01
Consistent supply chain support
02
Protected pricing & margin control
03
Brand training & experience activation
04
Retail visibility, staging & display strategy
The founder
Ahmed Zaidan
Founder of Casa DR Cigars — the house that brought the Dominican Republic’s finest cigars to the Middle East, and the reason one leader now stands behind so many storied brands.
“We don’t sell cigars, we have a mission to share a small piece of the happiness that the Dominican Republic radiates through cigars.”
What the house stands for
The beliefs behind the brand
01
Heritage made tangible
A cigar is a record of soil, families and artisans — and it should be presented that way.
02
Experience above all
Lighting a Casa DR cigar is not consumption. It is an initiation into a tradition.
03
A house without borders
Dominican tobacco belongs in every serious cigar market, from Doha to Riyadh and the rest of the Middle East.
04
Give the craft forward
Scholarships, classroom funding and artisan training keep the next generation close to the craft.
The road so far
From one valley to a house without borders
What began as a passion for Dominican tobacco now reaches retailers, hotels, lounges and travellers across Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt — and is still only the beginning.
ESTD 1982
A Dominican legacy
A house rooted in the Dominican Republic's tobacco tradition, carried forward under one name.
2021
The first branch
Casa DR opens its first branch in Qatar — the house's first home beyond the Dominican Republic.
The house
One roof, many houses
La Aurora, Arturo Fuente, Cezar Bronner, La Flor Dominicana, Quesada and more — brought together under one roof, brand and factory appointed.
Retail
Rooms that feel like the island
Casa DR lounges and retail corners at Sheraton Grand Doha, Four Seasons Riyadh and The Mansard Riyadh.
Global
Beyond the counter
Qatar Duty Free at Hamad International Airport, Dufry International and partner hotels and lounges across the region.
Work with the founder’s house
Retailers, venues, collaborators and fellow enthusiasts are all welcome at the table.
Clients & partners
Member of
Our giving back promise
Committed to Dominican education
- Scholarships for students in rural & underserved areas
- Funding for classroom materials, digital tools and supplies
- Vocational & artisan training linked to Dominican heritage
- Partnerships with schools and educational NGOs
- Programs promoting fair opportunities for youth in tobacco-growing regions
Next step
Join the house
- 01Connect with us
- 02Venue assessment
- 03Commercial proposal
- 04Launch support