For years, Patria by Longmen co-founders Elvis Sampson-Achonu and Lotanna Okafor stood on the familiar side of cigar culture. They smoked international labels, joined private cigar clubs and spent time with other enthusiasts across Nigeria and West Africa.

Eventually, enjoying the culture was no longer enough. They wanted to create something that carried their own identity.

That idea became public at Ikoyi Club 1938, where golfers gathered for the Patria Golf Kitty. Players moved across the fairway as guests watched, talked and took in the relaxed atmosphere around the course.

Two days later, the story continued at Alina’s Garden in Lekki. Golf shirts and caps gave way to suits, bow ties and evening dresses as Patria held its formal launch.

The settings were different, but the message remained the same: two Nigerian cigar lovers were ready to move from consumers to brand owners.

It began with a shared passion

Patria grew from conversations between Sampson-Achonu and Okafor about the cigars they enjoyed and the culture around them.

“We’ve been smoking cigars for a while, and we thought it was only right to explore what experience we could create from our character as Nigerians, our resilience as Africans and our love for cigars,” Sampson-Achonu said.

The journey took them to Villa González in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where they began developing the product in 2023. Patria was established the following year.

For Okafor, the early days were less about a perfect business plan and more about following an idea they believed in.

“It’s a bit of an emotional moment for me because we started this brand not even knowing where we were going. This brand was entirely birthed out of passion and a love for the culture of fine cigars,” he said.

The cigars are not grown or produced in Nigeria. Their Nigerian identity comes from the men who own the brand, the story they are telling and the character they want the product to carry.

A Nigerian idea made in the Dominican Republic

At the black-tie event, Sampson-Achonu explained that Patria means “homeland” in Spanish.

For the co-founders, the name speaks to belonging. It also reflects their attempt to combine Nigerian identity with the cigar-making tradition of the Dominican Republic.

“We took our time and explored the soils of Villa González, Santiago, in the Dominican Republic, creating a cigar that embodies the Nigerian character and the richness and quality of Dominican cigars,” Sampson-Achonu said.

Patria has two blends, Virgin Dominican Soil and Corojo 99, available in four sizes.

Virgin Dominican Soil takes its name from the land where its tobacco was planted. Corojo 99 draws from a Cuban-seed tobacco variety.

“The reason we called the first blend Virgin is because we planted the tobacco seeds on virgin Dominican soil. For the Corojo, we had new seeds from Cuba, from a region called Corojo. Hence the name Corojo 99,” Sampson-Achonu said.

He described the cigar as medium to full-bodied, while Okafor pointed to coffee and cocoa notes in its flavour.

“The cigar is medium to full, with lovely flavour, good profile and strong character, just like us Nigerians,” Sampson-Achonu said.

It is a colourful way to describe a product, but Patria will still have to win people over on quality. Cigar enthusiasts care about how a cigar is made, how evenly it burns and whether its flavour remains consistent.

The Nigerian story may attract attention. The cigar itself will have to keep it.

Why they started on the fairway

Golf was not chosen simply because it offered a beautiful setting.

The sport shares some of the social habits found in cigar circles. Both encourage people to slow down, talk and spend time together. Friendships and business relationships often grow around those moments.

“To launch, we decided it was only right to start at the fairway,” Sampson-Achonu said.

The tournament brought golfers and invited guests together, with awards presented during the black-tie event two days later.
For Okafor, the turnout at Ikoyi Club showed that the private idea he shared with his partner had found an audience.

“I really didn’t know what to expect from this kitty. Seeing the love, the time and the participation, and seeing this brand that we conceived in our hearts come to life, I just want to say a very big thank you,” he said.

More than a launch party

The black-tie evening offered a different mood. Guests arrived through a garden lined with warm lights, stopped for photographs beside a vintage car and settled in for music from Speakeasy and a performance by T-Mac.

Okafor kept his address short, “Cigar culture has never really been an African thing, so tonight is not just the birth of something new, but the birth of a new culture and a new tradition. It is a statement on a global pedestal, telling the world that we too from Africa can play on a global level with the very best of craftsmanship,” he said.

The brand’s story is not about inventing cigar culture in Africa. It is about two Nigerians who spent years within that culture and decided they wanted a product bearing their own name and ideas. Their motto says it plainly: “This one is ours.”