ORIGIN - Tobacco Road
In Colombia’s overlooked tobacco fields, Francis Gillis and Juan Camilo Rodriguez are redefining what a cigar experience can be.
ORIGIN is a series of portrait stories built to honor the people who make the travel we design possible. Chefs, guides, artists, entrepreneurs, and travelers.
Our community. Their stories. ORIGIN.
DO: Bribón Cigars + WhereNext Travel, a travel experience built together.
We call it Tobacco Road.
A Path Unfolds
When you sit with Francis Gillis at the Bribon factory in Barichara, Colombia, over a hand-rolled cigar and a slow, early evening breeze, you start to understand that this man was never built for stillness.
Born to a Filipina mother and a Canadian father who worked in international development, Francis has been on the move since he was two weeks old. His upbringing stretched across continents: Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Philippines, and Jordan. Home was never a place; it was a way of being open to the unfamiliar and new challenges.
“Luxury travel is about going beyond the ‘seeing’ to learn, meet, and understand the people and the community behind the experience.”
That worldview shaped everything. It’s what led him to study international business and Spanish in Argentina. It’s what drew him to an investment bank in Chile. And it’s what ultimately planted the first seeds of his work with Colombian tobacco.
Francis Gillis
The Pivot
Francis’ original plan wasn’t cigars. It was cannabis. While working in Toronto during Canada’s green rush, he noticed legalization trends extending to Colombia. For him, it wasn’t about riding the investment wave; it was about using this new market to empower small farmers. He secured cultivation licenses and launched a cannabis venture with impact in mind. But when his partner company was sold, the mission got diluted. So Francis exited.
Then came an idea: what if tobacco, like cannabis, could be a tool for empowerment? With big tobacco, Phillip Morris and British American exiting Colombia, a door cracked open. Francis stepped through it.
Enter Juan Camilo Rodriguez
Francis threw himself into the craft, flying to visit La Aurora in the Dominican Republic, learning everything he could about cigar-making. That journey led him back to Colombia, where he met Juan Camilo Rodriguez, the founder of a local brand called Bribón.
Juan Camilo grew up in Bogotá. Quick-witted, polished, and full of confidence, he seamlessly switches from Spanish to North American English. He’d spent years working in luxury hospitality marketing in Canada, representing high-end properties, one of which had a cigar bar that quietly changed the trajectory of his life. “I started paying attention to what was behind the humidor,” he told me, “and realized cigar culture had huge potential, not just as a product, but as a brand experience.”
“Most people don’t know this, but at one point, Colombia exported more tobacco than coffee. It’s a part of our history that’s been forgotten. I want to tell that story and bring it back to life through Bribón.”
When he returned to Colombia, he saw something most people had forgotten: a country once known for exporting more tobacco than coffee. In 2017, he founded Bribón, first importing cigars, then working with third-party producers to craft his own blends. His vision was always clear: to build a national brand that could rival the quality of Cuban and Dominican cigars while telling the story of Colombia’s overlooked terroir and heritage.
Juan Camilo Rodriguez
But the pandemic was a challenging stage for the business. Around that time, Juan Camilo started talking with Francis, one of his most loyal customers, who, it turned out, was also obsessively studying the craft. What started as friendly conversations evolved into something more serious: a partnership built on shared values and complementary skill sets. Juan Camilo brought deep marketing and brand experience; Francis brought a background in international business and agriculture.
In Barichara, they penned a vision over drinks and draft notes: revive Colombian tobacco, elevate local farmers, and build the country’s first premium cigar brand. In 2021, they opened a cigar lounge in Bogotá and began growing tobacco in Montes de María.
There, Francis first learned about Cubita, a variety of tobacco with 150-year-old roots. Uniquely Colombian, aromatic, and full of untapped potential. But growing great tobacco was only part of the puzzle. Colombia lacked the infrastructure for proper fermentation and aging. The Bogotá lounge became more than a retail space; it turned into a lab, where client feedback met field innovation.
Back to Barichara
By 2024, the next chapter returned them full circle: to Barichara, where the duo realized they needed to open their own factory to better control quality and refine the process, rather than continue outsourcing to third parties. They leased a space and launched operations during Semana Santa. Production is still small and hands-on, but Bribon is already exporting to Europe and Turkey. Meanwhile, Francis and his family now live full-time in Barichara, where they oversee a pilot program testing different fertilizer formulations, with the long-term goal of implementing regenerative farming practices.
“One of the first things I learned is that Colombians are incredibly good at growing tobacco.”
Breaking the Mold
One of the greatest challenges in Colombian cigar-making has always been wrappers, the delicate outer leaf of a cigar, historically imported from Nicaragua, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. But Juan Camilo and Francis had a wild idea. What if they grew wrappers in-country? Francis is collaborating with farmers he met through his cannabis work, and Bribon is now experimenting with growing wrapper leaves locally, potentially a first for Colombia.
Bribon’s approach to business reflects a rare kind of integrity. They are among the first in Colombia’s cigar industry to offer formal contracts, social security, and a path toward living wages, not just minimum wages, for their employees. One of their recent hires had worked in the industry for 21 years without ever receiving a proper contract or benefits. For Francis, dignity is non-negotiable. Bribon isn’t just producing cigars; it’s setting a new standard.
DO: Tobacco Road
When my wife and I first met Francis, we were traveling through Barichara and happened to stop by his factory just as it opened. That spontaneous visit has since sparked conversations that have evolved into something bigger. We began to imagine a one-of-a-kind journey that would embody both of our values.
We call it "Tobacco Road."
Tobacco Road connects the Bogotá laboratory with the Barichara factory in a multi-sensory, experiential arc. In Bogotá, guests can sample cigars and explore unique pairings with food and beverages. Then, in Barichara, the experience deepens. Visitors can hand-roll their own cigars, work alongside the Bribon team during harvest, sew and hang tobacco leaves, and take part in the fermentation process, depending on the season.
Ask Francis and Juan Camilo what they think defines luxury, and they won’t mention dollar signs. "It’s experiential," Francis says. "It’s about going beyond the 'seeing' to learn, meet, and understand the people and the community behind the experience."
WhereNext Travel and Bribon are aligned on something deeper than business. Juan Camilo and Francis never built Bribon to chase profit alone. His bottom line has always been social. And the guests who visit their factory in Barichara? They get that. They feel it. They come for cigars, but leave with a memory of the real people, place, and purpose, wrapped tight in Colombian-grown leaves and lit with intention.
