Reporting for El Siglo Mar?a Rosa Jim?nez interviewed Pierre Cardin in Paris where the renown designer comments on his "Maxim’s" brand of cigars manufactured in the DR and calls the DR "the tobacco land par excellence." "This is my biggest dream… The creation of a brand of cigars with the Maxim’s name, as well as a chain of restaurants and the champagne. It is a way to create a brand of luxury products, synonymous with the true art of living," he says. He explained that his cigars are hand-rolled in the DR from a mix of Dominican tobacco. In 1997, the DR exported 400 units of cigars, primarily to the US, reaping export revenues for US$289 million. The Pierre Cardin cigars are manufactured with the collaboration of Zino Davidoff. They come in six formats: Sem, Royale, Belle Epoque, Bistrot, Imperial and Omnibus in cedar wood boxes with a prices ranging from 750 to 1,475 French francs, according to the interview.
