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Tag: Cuba

  • Cuba Boosts Logistical Support for Tobacco Growers

    Cuba Boosts Logistical Support for Tobacco Growers

    Cuba’s state-owned tobacco group, Tabacuba, intensified its support for local growers ahead of the 2025 harvest, deploying new logistics and equipment to improve efficiency and reduce reliance on intermediaries. The group added five new Howo fuel trucks to the six existing vehicles, along with 12 tractors and trailers, aimed at ensuring direct delivery of diesel and materials to farms and facilitating transport from the port of Mariel. Marino Murillo, president of Tabacuba, said these measures are expected to benefit around 7,000 growers, while the first Freely Convertible Currency supply store for tobacco producers was also inaugurated, offering a range of agricultural and hardware products.

    Additional programs include technical support for the cultivation of covered tobacco in Sancti Spíritus, targeting high-quality export crops for about 20 producers. The initiative provides growers with guidance across all stages of production, from seed planting to curing. Previous investments this year included six Mercedes-Benz vehicles for growers, highlighting Tabacuba’s strategy of combining logistical support with incentives to stabilize and encourage tobacco output amid concerns over declining production and its impact on export revenues.

  • Cuba Customs Scores Second Major Bust in a Month

    Cuba Customs Scores Second Major Bust in a Month

    Cuban Customs intercepted an attempt to smuggle more than 4,500 counterfeit cigars through Havana’s international airport this weekend, marking the second such bust in less than a month. Authorities discovered the fake products, disguised with branded boxes and labels, in the possession of two passengers. Officials also seized dozens of unused cigar bands, underscoring the sophistication and scale of the operation.

    The seizures highlight the persistent challenge of the illicit cigar trade, which continues to undermine Cuba’s premium cigar industry abroad. With repeated incidents surfacing at Havana’s airport, including last month’s seizure of 4,400 counterfeit cigars, authorities are tightening enforcement in collaboration with the National Revolutionary Police to curb a trade that generates significant profits in global black markets.

  • Cuba’s Habanos Depending More on Machine-Made Cigars

    Cuba’s Habanos Depending More on Machine-Made Cigars

    Habanos S.A., Cuba’s premium cigar exporter, is increasingly leaning on machine-made cigars produced at the Internacional Cubana de Tabacos (ICT) factory in Havana, according to The Havana Times. Though lacking the prestige of hand-rolled cigars, these products generated $38 million in revenue in 2024, part of Habanos S.A.’s record $827 million annual earnings.

    The factory, a joint venture with Spain’s Tabacalera, runs 64 machines and operates three shifts daily, producing up to 800,000 cigars a day to meet global demand under the Cohiba, Partagás, Montecristo, and Romeo y Julieta brands.

    Industry insiders acknowledge that Habanos’ luxury clientele won’t abandon premium hand-rolled cigars. Yet for now, machine-made alternatives are helping cushion the blow from Cuba’s deepening agricultural and infrastructure crisis, according to the newspaper.

  • Cuban Tobacco Hit Hard by Power Outages

    Cuban Tobacco Hit Hard by Power Outages

    Chronic power outages have severely impacted “all tobacco varieties” in Cuba’s prized sector, particularly in Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río—one of the country’s leading growing regions, according to local newspaper Guerrillero. According to local officials, 385 hectares of tobacco crops were lost this season due to electricity shortages, mainly affecting irrigation.

    The area planted was already reduced to 1,500 hectares, and total production is now expected to hit just 1,301 tons, far below the 1,778-ton target. Director of the local Integrated Tobacco Company, Mario Luis Zamora, estimates the harvest will yield only 79% of the planned cured bundles.

    While efforts are underway to recover, with over 1,000 curing barns built for next season, the fragility of Cuba’s electrical grid casts doubt over a strong rebound.

  • Cuban Tobacco Crops Continue to be Down

    Cuban Tobacco Crops Continue to be Down

    According to a report from Agencia Cubana de Noticias, Cuban farmers have only planted 10,378 hectares of tobacco through February, close to the revised target of 10,500 hectares set in September 2024, but well below the initial goal of 14,771 hectares.

    Cuba’s tobacco production has still not recovered since Hurricane Ian hit in 2022. In the fall of 2021, Tabacuba said that it planned to plant more than 16,000 hectares in Pinar del Río and harvest 17,600 tons. The 2023-2024 crop was originally targeted at nearly 13,000 hectares but was reduced to 10,200 hectares.

    “Since Hurricane Ian ravaged Pinar del Río, Cuba’s main growing region has been rebuilding,” Charlie Minato wrote for Halfwheel. “It was estimated that 90% of the curing barns in the province were damaged, something that remains an issue today. Osvaldo Santana Vera of Tabacuba, the state-owned company in charge of tobacco production, told ACN that he was hoping for more wood deliveries, which would allow for more curing barns and could increase the size of the crop. In addition, heavy rains in September 2024 led to the destruction of 10,000 seed beds and pushed back some of the planting until earlier this month.”

  • Rafael Targets Cuba’s Tobacco Regions

    Rafael Targets Cuba’s Tobacco Regions

    Image: lavizzara

    Cuba’s leading tobacco-producing regions were expected to take a direct hit as Hurricane Rafael slammed into the island’s southwest shore on Nov. 6, packing sustained winds of 185 kph, reports Reuters.

    Farmers in Artemisa and Pinar del Rio provinces had moved to protect 8,000 metric tons of tobacco in the area, according to Agriculture Minister Ydael Pérez Brito, as well as ripening fruits and vegetables.

    The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of a “life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds and flash flooding” across much of western Cuba. The region, including Havana, remained under a hurricane warning.

    Cuba’s state-run grid operator said the high winds had caused the country’s electrical system to collapse. State-run television reported the entire population of 10 million people was without electricity—the second such incident in less than a month on the island.

    The hurricane is the latest blow to the country’s already precarious grid and infrastructure. Cuba’s obsolete oil-fired power plants reached a full crisis this year as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico dwindled.

  • Habanos Presents 2024 Upmann Magnum Finite LE

    Habanos Presents 2024 Upmann Magnum Finite LE

    The launch of the H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 vitola took place in one of the most iconic locations in the Spanish capital—the arches and inner gates of the Las Ventas bullring, a space filled with charm, history and culture.

    Habanos S.A., the distribution arm of Cuban cigars, together with its partner and exclusive distributor for the Spanish market, Tabacalera S.L.U., presented the new vitola at the event organized by the Club Pasion Habanos under the name El ruedo de H. Upmann.

    “The H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 (53 ring gauge x 130 mm length) stands out not only for its elegance but also for its exclusivity. It is a vitola designed for aficionados seeking a unique and sophisticated experience, combining the heritage and brand’s tradition, its refined Habanos, with a light to medium strength, and the characteristic aging of at least two years for limited editions,” a Habanos release states. “H. Upmann Magnum Finite is the result of a meticulous crafting process, using wrapper, filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo plantations, where the world’s best tobacco is produced, in Pinar del Rio region, Cuba.”

    Magnum Finite comes in an exclusive box of 25 units. The flavor is creamy, woody, toasted and earthy with vegetal and mineral hints, ripe fruit, sweetness and light spices, leaving a finish of hay, smoked cedar, damp earth, moss, iodine hints, dried plum, vanilla, nutmeg and molasses.

    Its aroma is tobacco, woody, toasted, herbal, ripe fruit, spicy and sweet, smoked cedar, leather, raisin, coffee, cocoa, clove, vanilla and molasses.

  • Habanos Celebrates 30th Anniversary

    Habanos Celebrates 30th Anniversary

    Habanos of Cuba celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. Founded Sept. 14, 1994, the company has established itself as a benchmark in the worldwide promotion and sales of Habanos, which are considered by many to be the best handmade cigars.

    With a presence in over 130 territories across five continents, Habanos boasts a portfolio of 27 premium cigars, including iconic names such as Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagas. Since its creation, the company has tripled its consolidated turnover.

    Every year since 1999, the company’s Habano Festival, attracts distributors, aficionados and celebrities from around the world. The event has evolved into a key platform for presenting new products, exchanging ideas and celebrating activities and experiences related to the Habano culture.

    Meanwhile, the La Casa del Habano franchise network has expanded to more than 155 boutiques in over 60 countries.

    “Over the past 30 years, we have traveled a path filled with tradition, passion and dedication, bringing the Habano to over 130 territories and solidifying our position as leaders in the premium tobacco industry. All of this has allowed us to reach a record revenue figure of $721 million in 2024,” wrote Habanos Copresidents Maritza Carrillo Gonzalez and Luis Sanchez-Harguindey in a joint statement.

    “However, beyond the numbers and achievements, what truly defines us are the relationships we have built. Each satisfied customer represents a shared success, and we are grateful for their loyalty and support over the years. Today, we celebrate the past, but we also look to the future with the same entrepreneurial spirit that has guided us here.”

  • Biden Rolls Back Bank Restrictions for Cuba

    Biden Rolls Back Bank Restrictions for Cuba

    TR Archive

    Accessing the global banking system just got easier for many of Cuba’s privately owned tobacco farms. The U.S. lifted some financial restrictions against the island country on Tuesday, in a move designed to boost private businesses.

    The measures will allow independent entrepreneurs to open and access U.S. bank accounts online to support their businesses. They also include steps to open up more internet-based services and expand private companies’ ability to make certain financial transactions.

    “These regulatory amendments update and clarify authorizations in support of internet-based services to promote internet freedom in Cuba, support independent Cuban private sector entrepreneurs, and expand access to certain financial services for the Cuban people,” the Treasury Department said in a news release.

    One of the key changes will allow Cuban private business owners to open bank accounts in the United States and then access them online once back in Cuba — something they couldn’t do previously. The U.S. also is again allowing something called U-turn transactions, where money is transferred from one country to another but is routed through the United States.

    “This reinstated authorization is intended to help the Cuban people, including independent private sector entrepreneurs, by facilitating remittances and payments for transactions in the Cuban private sector,” the release said, according to the Associated Press.

    The Trump administration had removed permission for the U-turn transactions in 2019.

    The Cuban authorities downplayed the announcement. Johana Tablada, deputy director of the U.S. department in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, said the steps were “limited” and will do little to ease the embargo or sanctions that have most hurt the Cuban people.

  • Caribbean Habanos Days in St. Maarten

    Caribbean Habanos Days in St. Maarten

    Credit: Reimar

    The fourth annual Caribbean Habanos Days was held on Sint Maarten from May 17 -19. Sponsored by Habanos S.A. and Caribbean Cigars Corporation N.V., the Cuban cigar distributor for the Caribbean and Central America, the event attracted nearly 200 attendees from 19 countries.

    Activities included a cigar-rolling demonstration by torcedor Jose Castelar “Cueto” Cairo. The 80-year-old cigar roller is best known for rolling the Guinness World Record cigar, which is 295 feet long and was rolled to commemorate Fidel Castro’s 90th birthday in 2016 (he’s broken the record several times since). After his presentation, patrons participated in rolling their own cigars.

    The first day culminated in an evening cocktail party featuring music by Yuyo Herrera. The evening celebrated brands including Cohiba, Montecristo, Trinidad, Partagas, Romeo Julietta, Quai Dorsay, La Gloria Cubano, and El Rey Del Mundo, according to an emailed press release.

    On day two, attendees could take a land tour or a boat cruise.

    The event closed with a Gala Dinner party held at The Morgan. Montecristo cigars, along with special Montecristo lighters and cutters, were presented throughout the evening. After the dinner, attendees participated in a premier humidor auction, featuring two hand-crafted humidors created by Cuban artisan Ernesto Aguilera Reina.

    Gary Heathcott, director of Cuba Films, conducted the auction. The event raised $75,000 that will be donated to Cuba’s Public Health system for Children’s Cancer Research.