Cano Aret Ozgener, founder of the CAO brand, died on June 9th, in Nashville Tennessee, at the age of 81, after a long battle with cancer.
CAO quickly became a world famous cigar brand and distributed in over 100 countries. The company was sold in 2007 to the ST Group (Scandinavian Tobacco).
Touching words by Jon A. Huber, co-founder of the Crowned Heads brand, were shared through social media: “The world of cigars has lost a pioneer and an innovator, but more importantly, the world has lost a Cano Aret Ozgener was not only a man who gave me a chance, about 22 years ago, by introducing me to the premium cigar industry, but he was my mentor, my spiritual guru and my friend. . His infamous mantra was “Make it Happen”, which opened the door to my life of creativity, hope and inspiration “.
During his studies he learned three languages (French, English, German) in addition to the Turkish and Armenian languages he already spoke. at Columbia University he met Esen, his future bride. He was transferred to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1968. During the years, Cano served the community in many different ways, serving on the boards of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center and the Watkins College of Art.
Rest in Peace Mister CAO.