Habanos S.A.

Habanos S.A. is a Cuban manufacturing company of tobacco that controls the promotion, distribution, and export of premium cigars and other tobacco products for Cuba worldwide. It was established in 1994.[2]

Habanos S.A.
TypeS.A.
IndustryTobacco
Founded1994 (1994)
Headquarters
Havana
,
Cuba
ProductsCigars, cigarettes
OwnerCubatabaco and Altadis[1]
Websitehabanos.com
Footnotes / references
Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1

Ownership of Habanos S.A. is split equally between state-owned Cubatabaco and privately held Spanish-based tobacco giant Altadis.[2] The company commercialises the brands Cohiba, Montecristo, Bolívar, and Romeo y Julieta, amongst others.

Overview

The word habanos (not normally capitalised) means literally (something) from Havana, and is the word used in the Spanish-speaking world for Havana cigars and, sometimes, cigars in general. Habanos S.A. owns the trademarks of every brand of Cuban-made cigars and cigarettes in the countries they are exported to[3] and franchises the La Casa Del Habano chain of cigar stores.[2] To control distribution and protect against counterfeiting, Habanos S.A. exports to only one company in each country (Hunters & Frankau for Great Britain and Gibraltar, 5th Avenue Cigars for Germany, Intertabak for Switzerland, Pacific Cigar Co. for most of the Pacific Rim, etc.). The only nation to which Habanos S.A. doesn't sell cigars is the United States, which has had a trade embargo against Cuba since 1962. [4]

In 2000, the Franco-Spanish tobacco giant Altadis purchased 50% of Habanos S.A. There has been speculation that their influence has led to Habanos' drastic restructuring of their cigar lines and size offerings, the adoption of marketing practices and production methods more in-line with cigar companies that market in the US, and the increasing number of "special release" and "limited edition" lines of cigars. It has also been suggested that Altadis might be ramping Habanos up ready to trade with the US, anticipating the end of the embargo. On the other hand, some observers have noted a restoration of Cuban cigar quality, which had declined dramatically in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union.[5] Altadis was acquired by Imperial Tobacco in February 2008.

In May 2019, Imperial Tobacco announced their intention to sell their premium cigar division, including their share in Habanos S.A.[1][6][7] One year later, Imperial Brands announced the sale of Habanos S.A. through two different transactions for a total of €1,225 million. Firstly the U.S.-based business, "Premium Cigar USA" will be sold to Gemstone Investment Holding Ltd., while second Allied Cigar Corp. will acquire Imperial Brands' cigar business in the rest of the world, "Premium Cigar RoW".[1][8]

See also

References
  1. Imperial Brands vende su negocio de cigarros by Ingrid Rojas on Lex Latin, 30 Jun 2020
  2. Morales, Emilio; Scarpaci, Joseph L. (2011). Marketing without Advertising: Brand Preference and Consumer Choice in Cuba. Routledge. ISBN 9781136481024.
  3. Speranza, Matteo (2016). The Cuban Cigar Handbook: The Discerning Aficionado's Guide to the Best Cuban Cigars in the World. Simon and Schuster. p. 73. ISBN 9781604336207.
  4. "How JFK snagged 1,200 Cuban cigars before the trade embargo". IrishCentral.com. 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  5. Inc, M. Shanken Communications. "A Message for America". Cigar Aficionado. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. "Imperial Brands exiting the cigar industry". May 1, 2019.
  7. "Altadis to be delisted Feb 25 - bourse" (PDF). Imperial Tobacco. 22 February 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2008.
  8. Imperial Brands vende negocio de puros on Europa Press, 27 May 2020
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