Franca Comparetto is the CEO and co-founder of Cigar Sense Inc., a pioneering platform that delivers unbiased, personalized cigar recommendations based on sensory science and consumer preferences—not marketing hype. In this conversation, Franca shares her remarkable journey from her early career in Brussels at the European Commission, through a decade at Cisco leading business operations and data governance, to co-founding Cigar Sense with her husband.

Franca explains how her frustration as a cigar lover in the U.S. led to building the world’s first independent recommendation engine for premium cigars. She details how Cigar Sense educates consumers, helps them avoid costly trial and error, and empowers them to trust their own palates. The platform’s unique approach is rooted in blind testing, statistical rigor, and sensory panel training, ensuring its recommendations remain unbiased and authentic.

We explore:

- Franca’s transition from a corporate career to entrepreneurship, and the values that guided her.

- Why she believes sensory autonomy is both a pleasure and a fundamental consumer right.

- How Cigar Sense uses data and sensory insights to serve both consumers and manufacturers.

- The problem with hype-driven marketing and how it damages trust between brands and consumers.

- The role of ethics in building a sustainable, value-based business—even when it comes with sacrifices.

- Personal stories of discovering cigars, cultural differences between Italy and the U.S., and how flavors connect to memory, identity, and tradition.

Franca also reflects on the broader significance of cigars: not just as luxury products, but as companions to celebration, resilience, and mindful moments of rest. She highlights how cigars have historically served roles from spirituality to social status, and why today they are best understood as experiences that enhance life when chosen authentically.

Despite bootstrapping Cigar Sense from the start, Franca has stayed committed to impartiality, transparency, and putting consumers first. She explains why companies that genuinely listen to their customers earn lasting loyalty and why she continues to push for clarity, standards, and education in the cigar industry.

This episode is not only about cigars—it’s about purpose, trust, and building businesses that put values before hype. Franca’s story is an inspiring example of how to merge science, ethics, and passion into a venture that makes a real difference in people’s lives.

Whether you are a cigar aficionado, an entrepreneur, or someone interested in consumer advocacy, you’ll find rich insights in this conversation about integrity, sensory discovery, and the power of building with purpose.

About Franca Comparetto

- http://www.cigarsense.com

About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎

🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers

- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/

- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io

- ✅ https://prevetted.ai

🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡

- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast

- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod

- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast

00:00 Introduction to Franca Compareto and Cigar Sense

09:52 The Art and Science of Cigar Tasting

24:33 Consumer Advocacy and Ethical Business Models

28:24 The Value of Quality in Wine and Cigars

29:18 Blind Testing and Real-Time Recommendations

30:40 The Role of Statistics in Sensory Analysis

32:47 Trusting Algorithms and Ethical Business Models

35:08 Consumer-Centric Approaches in the Cigar Industry

38:35 The Importance of Clarity in Cigar Tasting

42:00 The Risks of Hype in Product Launches

44:38 Building Trust and Loyalty in the Cigar Market

47:44 The Purpose Behind Ethical Business Practices

51:02 Celebrating Life's Moments with Cigars

Jose Herrera is a creative force whose journey spans cultures, industries, and decades of storytelling. Born in Eureka, California, raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, and later building his career in San Jose, Jose embodies the spirit of bridging worlds. From his early days producing at Telemundo, Univision, and CBS, to founding MiO Productions, he has spent over 25 years telling powerful stories through video, events, and digital media.

In this episode, Jose shares the fascinating story of Corazón Musical: Escúchalo en tu Corazón, the groundbreaking TV production that celebrated Latino music and culture. What began as a bold idea scribbled on a napkin grew into a show that outperformed corporate competitors like Telemundo in ratings. Jose reveals how the concept was inspired by Guadalajara’s vibrant nightlife and his vision of showcasing positivity, community events, and music—without politics or negativity. Corazón Musical became more than entertainment; it became a cultural bridge between Mexico and the Latino community in California.

Jose also takes us behind the scenes of MiO Productions, a company that started with just two people and grew into a full creative studio offering video, web, audio, print, and event production. He explains how understanding nostalgia—the flavors, sounds, and traditions people miss when far from home—allowed him to connect with audiences in deeply personal ways. From commercials that became local sensations to events that captured cultural pride, Jose shows how blending heritage with creativity can transform storytelling.

But his journey didn’t stop there. Today, Jose is also driving innovation at Adco Outdoor, a billboard company with over 60 years of history. He describes the challenges of entering an industry dominated by family-run traditions, the resistance to change, and how he brought “new blood” and fresh strategies to revitalize the business. From learning the nuances of outdoor advertising to navigating delicate family dynamics, Jose offers candid insights into what it takes to succeed in a “boring” business that is anything but boring once you’re inside it.

Along the way, we dive into rich cultural anecdotes—from tortas ahogadas and pajaretes to mariachi traditions and the competitive spirit of Guadalajara, a city known for setting the cultural tone for the rest of Mexico. Jose reflects on the culture shock of moving to the U.S., the discrimination he faced simply because of his name, and the resilience it took to reclaim his identity and prove himself as a professional in a new environment.

If you’re interested in media, entrepreneurship, or the power of cultural roots in shaping business success, this conversation will inspire you to embrace your own journey and create opportunities where others see obstacles.

About Jose Bernardo Herrera:

- https://vimeo.com/user11323801

- https://mioproductions.com/

- https://adco-outdoor.com/

About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎

🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers

- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/

- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io

- ✅ https://prevetted.ai

🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡

- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast

- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod

- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast

00:00 Introduction to Jose Herrera and Corazón Musical

01:30 The Birth of Corazón Musical

07:49 Cultural Significance of Guadalajara

17:12 The Impact of YouTube on Broadcasting

20:11 Nostalgia and Cultural Identity

27:37 Challenges of Cultural Adaptation in Business

27:57 The Quest for Authentic Ingredients

29:38 Cultural Adaptation and Identity

33:32 Navigating Discrimination and Stereotypes

36:18 The Billboard Business Opportunity

40:44 Adapting to New Business Challenges

45:47 Leadership and Team Dynamics

Jonathan Collazo is an inventor, relentless builder, and the mission-driven founder and CEO of Ostrich Air and FireBot Labs—two pioneering deep-tech companies redefining the role of autonomous robotics in public safety, defense, and critical infrastructure. In this episode of the PreVetted Podcast, host Federico Ramallo dives deep into Jonathan’s fascinating and unorthodox path—from a teenage computer repair business in Florida to building battle-tested robots in Silicon Valley.

Jonathan shares how picking up a drone for the first time sparked an obsession that led to founding Ostrich Air, originally an R&D lab for custom drone and robotic systems. His approach was simple: no fancy credentials, just trial, error, and a lot of explosions in the garage. That passion evolved into creating everything from ground and underwater robots to autonomous aerial systems—with zero reliance on venture capital and full reliance on grit, curiosity, and team collaboration.

Later, faced with the growing threat of wildfires in California, Jonathan and his team pivoted their attention to real-world impact. Without waiting for funding or permission, they started building autonomous drones to detect and eventually suppress fires. This work became the foundation of FireBot Labs, now a fully independent venture focused on saving lives through AI-powered autonomous systems.

The conversation covers:

• Jonathan’s early passion for tearing things apart to learn how they work

• Why Ostrich Air’s name is a metaphor for doing the “impossible”

• How trial-and-error—and honesty—shape the team’s fast-paced innovation culture

• The origin story behind Double Tap, their undefeated BattleBot featured on Discovery Channel

• Why he believes theory is only half the equation, and “building messy” is where real innovation lives

• How FireBot Labs is creating autonomous drones that can respond to wildfires with just a few clicks—no training required

• Why he measures success not in profit but in impact, and his dream of providing life-saving tools to underfunded fire departments

• The power of finding your “3AM buddies”—people who’ll show up for you when it really counts

Whether you’re a robotics enthusiast, founder, engineer, or someone chasing purpose-driven work, Jonathan’s story will remind you that building the future doesn’t require a pedigree—just a little obsession, a lot of learning, and an unstoppable team.

Learn more about Jonathan Collazo:

- https://www.ostrichair.com/

- https://www.firebotlabs.com/

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/robotics-think-tank/

About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎

🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers

- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/

- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io

- ✅ https://prevetted.ai

🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡

- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast

- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod

- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast

00:00 Introduction to Jonathan Colazo and His Journey

06:53 The Birth of Ostrik Air and Firebot Labs

11:46 Innovative Solutions for Fire Safety

19:42 The Importance of Practical Knowledge in Innovation

25:44 Finding Purpose in Work and Team Dynamics

31:12 The Power of Ideas and Team Dynamics

33:52 Learning from Mistakes and Building Trust

37:21 Integrity and Team Cohesion

38:44 The 3 A.M. Buddy Concept

40:20 The BattleBots Experience

53:36 Future Aspirations and Innovations