AVO Cigars.

AVO Cigars was founded in 1987 by Avo Uvezian, a composer and jazz pianist born in Lebanon to an Armenian family. Uvezian developed an interest in premium cigars later in life and traveled to the Dominican Republic, where he searched for two years for a satisfactory production partner. A friend in Geneva connected Uvezian with Henke Kelner, who had recently opened his own cigar factory in the Dominican Republic after years working with a state-run tobacco company.

In 1987, Uvezian's first cigars from Kelner's factory were sold under the Bolero label in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After a trademark conflict over the Bolero name, Uvezian renamed the brand AVO and launched it in New York City. The brand was launched in the United States in 1988. In 1995, Davidoff (Oettinger Davidoff AG) purchased the distribution rights to AVO from Uvezian for an estimated $10 million. AVO cigars continue to be produced at the Davidoff factory in the Dominican Republic — one of the largest premium cigar facilities in the world.

Avo Uvezian remained involved as a brand ambassador until his death in 2017. The brand spans multiple lines including AVO Classic, AVO Heritage, AVO Syncro, and a series of limited edition releases timed to Uvezian's birthday each March.