Habanos S.A.

Cubatabaco, actually: Empresa Cubana del Tabaco, is a Cuban state company with the monopoly on all cigars in the country. The company was founded in 1962 after Fidel Castro's socialist government had nationalized the entire Cuban tobacco industry. Cubatabaco is responsible for all production steps after the tobacco cultivation to packaging and delivery of the cigars. The raw tobaccos are being bought by the tobacco farmers to government- set prices and then placed in the central Rohtabaklager the Cubatabacco or their cigar factories for further fermentation and processing. In addition Cubatabacco controlled the cigar sales to Cuba.

Habanos S. A.

In 1994, the subsidiary company Habanos SA was founded, which is exclusively responsible for the sales and marketing world. The only countries in which Habanos SA does not sell cigars, are the United States and Cuba due to the trade embargo of 1962.

In 2000, 50 % of Habanos were S. A. taken over by the Franco-Spanish tobacco company Altadis. Altadis was previously for the distribution of Cuban cigars in Spain and France (along with Coprova ). About this route Altadis was the first time a direct influence on the product portfolio of Habanos SA and Cubatabaco take after the Cuban company had to rely in the past on several occasions on loans from Altadis.

The acquisition and the influence of Altadis led to massive product deletions in the years 2001/2002 and 2006/2007, which many formats or all the brands like Gispert or Troya were hired. In addition, in marketing, the focus was placed on the positioning of the Cuban cigar as a luxury product. This led to numerous Firsts in the high price segment, such as the limited edition of one year or for certain markets series, the Limitadas Ediciones and Ediciones Regional.

In February 2008, Altadis and thus the share of Habanos SA acquired by Imperial Tobacco for 16.2 billion euros.

Cuban cigar brands (selection)

  • Belinda
  • Cabañas
  • Cohiba
  • Cuaba
  • Davidoff ( before 1989 )
  • Dunhill
  • Diplomaticos
  • El Rey del Mundo
  • Fonseca
  • Gispert
  • Guantanamera
  • Hoyo de Monterrey
  • José L. Piedra
  • Juan Lopez
  • La Flor de Cano
  • La Gloria Cubana
  • Monte Cristo
  • Partagas
  • Por Larranaga
  • Punch
  • Quintero
  • Rafael Gonzalez
  • Ramón Allones
  • Romeo y Julieta
  • San Christobal
  • Saint Luis Rey
  • Sancho Panza
  • Trinidad
  • Troya
  • H. Upmann
  • Vegas Robaina
  • Vegueros
Cohiba (cigar brand) Davidoff#History Dunhill (luxury goods) El Rey del Mundo (cigar) Guantanamera (cigar) Montecristo (cigar) Romeo y Julieta (cigar)
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