\u201cThe Festival is more alive than ever,\u201d Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda L\u00f3pez Inchaurbe, vice president of development for the company, said to OnCuba<\/strong>. \u201cWe celebrated its 22nd anniversary after a 2019 in which we turned a quarter of a century and reported sales of 531 million dollars, a global increase of 2% at the constant exchange rate with respect to the previous year. We have managed to consolidate the growth of the company and promote the culture associated with our products, mainly in emerging markets, and we have the important work in this regard carried out by the Casas del Habano, a franchise of which we are very proud and of which we are now celebrating its 30th anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen our clients enter any Casa del Habano they feel the atmosphere of Cuba and can discover all the values \u200b\u200bof our cigars,\u201d says L\u00f3pez Inchaurbe about this franchise present today in 58 countries and 118 cities, since its birth 30 years ago in Mexico.<\/p>\n This edition of the festival is also dedicated to several of its main brands: Partag\u00e1s, on its 175th anniversary; Romeo y Julieta, on its 145 years; and Montecristo, on its 85. They are also protagonists of the night galas in which important figures and groups of Cuban music will perform, and the main presentations. Partag\u00e1s will present its Legado limited edition; Romeo y Julieta its Golden Line; and Montecristo its Herederos vitola, which will be joined by other brands such as Bol\u00edvar, which will present its Belicosos Finos Reserva Cosecha 2016, H. Upmann its Super Magnum and Juan L\u00f3pez a Special Selection for its 150th anniversary.<\/p>\n In addition, as is traditional, participants will visit plantations, this time in the province of Artemisa, and La Corona and Partag\u00e1s factories to learn about the production of the island\u2019s famous cigars. They can also attend tastings and pairings of Habanos with different drinks, including brandies and wines of the Spanish firm Bodegas Torres, listen to lectures about tobacco culture, and witness the third edition of the Habanos World Challenge Contest, in which aficionado couples will demonstrate all their knowledge about Cuban Premium cigars.<\/p>\n A complex context<\/strong><\/p>\n This edition of the Habano Festival takes place at a particularly complex time for Cuba. The sanctions of the U.S. administration of Donald Trump have not only reversed the thaw promoted by his predecessor Barack Obama, but have further strained the hard hit Cuban economy, affecting the arrival of fuel to the island and key sectors such as tourism.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would love to have a stable economic and political environment, but it is not always possible,\u201d said S\u00e1nchez-Harguindey to OnCuba<\/strong>. \u201cFortunately, in the face of any instability, not only in Cuba but also in other markets, it helps us to have a global business so historically recognized and respected. Our Habanos are consumed in more than 140 countries, and that allows us, in the face of complicated situations, to compensate for the decline of one market with the growth of others.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Cuba, for example, despite the fact that last year the number of tourists decreased by more than 400,000 as a result of U.S. government measures\u2015among them the number of American visitors\u2015there are still tourists who are very attracted to the island and the number of visitors remains high, even with increases from some countries. That has allowed Cuba to remain among our first five securities markets, only surpassed by Spain, China, France and Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n The co-president of Habanos S.A. regrets that \u201cright now we can\u2019t distribute our products in the U.S. market, because of the blockade,\u201d but says that, \u201calthough we don\u2019t know when this will end,\u201d his company is ready to assume a possible entry into the powerful U.S. market.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a photo we have visualized for a long time, and when the time comes we will be ready to compete in the United States,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Although he knows that other companies have been sued after the activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act\u2015which allows U.S. citizens to sue companies that benefit from nationalized properties on the island after the triumph of the 1959 Revolution\u2015, S\u00e1nchez-Harguindey says that to date they have not had any affectation in this regard and they don\u2019t expect \u201cany action against our business.\u201d<\/p>\n The company\u2019s projection, he says, \u201ccan\u2019t be other than to continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have had a sustained growth in recent years and our perspective in 2020 is to maintain this trend. Every year we are surprising our customers with new releases that cover the entire price segment of our portfolio, with vitolas of very important brands for us, and we always try to market products that provide a high perception of the value of Habanos for our consumers. This festival is, without a doubt, proof of that,\u201d he reaffirmed.<\/p>\n See, discover, live<\/strong><\/p>\n A relevant area of \u200b\u200bthe Habano Festival is its Trade Fair. Inaugurated this Monday afternoon at the Havana Convention Center, this year 239 exhibitors from nine countries are participating, 5% more than in the previous edition, according to the organizers.<\/p>\n The main brands and elements associated with the Habano are present at the fair, as a vast sample of a culture that transcends tobacco plantations and cigar factories. L\u00e1zaro Vergara, a collector who has dedicated more than 20 years of his life to treasure articles related to Cuban cigars and who has already participated in 18 editions of the festival, attests to this.<\/p>\n Although he never had a professional or personal link with the world of tobacco, beyond having been a smoker until a few months ago, Vergara, who has also been a numismatic collector for four decades, now exhibits a sample of his more than 5,000 pieces. The oldest of his collection is from the early 20th century, including rings, labels and images used to decorate the outside and inside of cigar boxes, lithographs that, for their creation, \u201cwent through more than 12 stones in a complex and beautiful process that gave a distinctive image to the product,\u201d he explained to OnCuba<\/strong>.<\/p>\n He also has on display cases of various types and dimensions, including a box from the 1920s \u201cin very good condition\u201d and stocks of old cigar factories, used to verify the diameter and length of cigars and that reveal a moment in the evolution of cigar production in Cuba. That, he affirms, is one of the values \u200b\u200bof collectors like him, \u201cto inquire into the history of these objects, about their origin and evolution, and also explain their historical and artistic value\u201d to people, mostly foreigners, who approach his stand during the festival.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are like a museum,\u201d says Vergara, who is a member of the Cigar Association of Cuba, which brings together collectors of items related to the universe of cigars.<\/p>\n Having a collection like his, he says, has been a \u201clong, patient, persevering process involving great willpower,\u201d in which he has been buying the pieces, or receiving them as donations and gifts. In this endeavor, he explains, it is not enough to collect, \u201cwe must also preserve very carefully, with zeal,\u201d because \u201cwe are talking about our identity, Cuba\u2019s roots, and it is important to know where we come from to know where we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the undisputed attractions of the fair is a Havana Capitol made of wood, a monumental humidor that is 1.65 meters long by 0.87 wide and 0.90 high that impresses everyone who contemplates it. Its author, artisan artist Alfredo G\u00f3mez, began to participate in the festival with his works in 2007, but it was not until six years after that he dared to manufacture his first humidor. And what a humidor: a replica of the Hotel Nacional, which won him numerous compliments and opened a path that has continued until today.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far I have only made humidors inspired by relevant constructions, because I like architecture a lot,\u201d says to OnCuba<\/strong> G\u00f3mez, who also built one named \u201cMi Habana,\u201d which included symbols of the city such as Paseo del Prado, a facade of the Hotel Nacional, the Morro and two Giraldillas, \u201call in one piece,\u201d and that like the work with which he made his debut in this world, was auctioned in a Casa del Habano.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I chose the Capitol, because it is one of the emblematic works of Havana, closely linked to the history of Cuba itself and with many architectural details that fascinate me,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt was very arduous work, I used an average of 14 hours a day making it, but I also enjoyed it a lot. Just this Sunday I gave it the final waxing and it\u2019s already here.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/habano-2020-17-1.jpg\")
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