{"id":330555,"date":"2025-11-01T15:23:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T19:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=330555"},"modified":"2025-11-03T14:16:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T19:16:42","slug":"guayabita-del-pinar-heritage-in-danger-of-extinction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/guayabita-del-pinar-heritage-in-danger-of-extinction\/","title":{"rendered":"Guayabita del Pinar: heritage in danger of extinction"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are stories that are not patented. Like this one.\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar, a native drink that conquered palates in Cuba and beyond, is a living example of how myth and reality sometimes navigate the oceans of time like a message trapped in a bottle.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to the remoteness and imprecision of its origin\u00a0\u2014\u00a0shrouded in mystery and rumors\u00a0\u2014\u00a0as well as the string of declines that have sunk this local industry, this succinct biography must be crafted by blending, in balanced doses and with a challenge similar to that of those mountain chemists, drops of popular knowledge and excerpts from documentary evidence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to legend, the master rum makers of the\u00a0country\u2019s eastern province\u00a0and even Bacardi himself, the king of rums of yesteryear, would have risen early in the\u00a0tobacco plantations\u00a0of Pinar del R\u00edo\u00a0\u2014\u00a0without suspecting it. It\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0that the tobacco growers had any explicit notions of alcoholic alchemy, but rather that they were too cold when the winter air pierced their bones at dawn during the harvest.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At that hour, the blood called for fire, but the palate craved something less dry and harsh than pure\u00a0sugarcane\u00a0spirit. So, anonymous farmers began experimenting\u00a0\u2014\u00a0it is even said that they began in the 18th century, or\u00a0perhaps earlier\u00a0\u2014\u00a0with formulas as diverse as the palates that tasted them, immersing plums,\u00a0raisins\u00a0and all kinds of medicinal vines in barrels of alcohol sprinkled with sugar.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Genaro Rivera, a native of Asturias who lived in\u00a0Vueltabajo\u00a0around the 19th century, is credited with throwing a handful of macerated\u00a0guayabita\u00a0from the pine forest\u00a0\u2014\u00a0this fruit, due to its aroma and sweetness, used\u00a0to attract farmers and wild boars to the grove\u00a0\u2014\u00a0into a barrel of brandy seasoned with lemon peel, vanilla, mint, mignonette, and lemon balm.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As its name suggests, the\u00a0guayabita\u00a0resembles the common guava, except that it has an oval berry shape, little pulp and is no larger than an olive.\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0guayabita\u00a0is the size of a cherry, with a smell and taste like the Peruvian guava, but sweeter,\u201d\u00a0described Jacobo de la\u00a0Pezuela\u00a0in his\u00a0<\/span>Diccionario\u00a0geogr\u00e1fico,\u00a0estad\u00edstico\u00a0e hist\u00f3rico de la\u00a0isla\u00a0de Cuba<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is the fruit of the\u00a0guabayito, botanically known as\u00a0<\/span>Psidium\u00a0guayabita<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and belonging\u00a0to the\u00a0<\/span>Myrtaceae<\/span><\/i>\u00a0family. It is a shrub endemic to the western region\u00a0\u2014\u00a0although in the past it was reported in the\u00a0jurisdiction\u00a0of Sancti Sp\u00edritus and Isla de la Juventud\u00a0\u2014\u00a0that grows wild in sandy, undulating soils under pine forests, which is why it was called\u00a0guayabito\u00a0de\u00a0pinar\u00a0(pine forest guava).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After letting his broth rest for a few weeks, Genaro Rivera gave it to relatives and friends to\u00a0taste. They found it not only a novel liquid, but also exquisite. Without further ado, the Asturian set up a kiosk to sell it and earned his\u00a0\u201cperras\u00a0gordas\u201d\u00a0(a nickname for the Spanish peseta at the time). However, he was far from imagining that this primitive liquor would become, with the aging of centuries, a drink of paradise: a symbol of identity, like Scotch whisky or Russian vodka.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is\u00a0\u2014\u00a0though it is tacit in oral\u00a0and written\u00a0history\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the domestic concoction could have vanished like a\u00a0cigar\u00a0immolated under the law of\u00a0a match, or remained restricted to the remotest sphere of the\u00a0tobacco growers, if the genius of Lucio Garay, the Basque-born merchant to whom Genaro Rivera sold his\u00a0\u201csecret formula\u201d\u00a0for a gold doubloon, had not come into play.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A nail in the shoe<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Lucio Garay would give that artisanal elixir an industrial label, improve its quality with constant additions and refinements, and catapult it from a tavern and foreign drink to urban consumption;\u00a0in addition to establishing its notoriety in the social imagination as a folkloric drink of Pinar del R\u00edo cuisine, a restorative drink and a favorite bottle for celebrations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Born in 1871 in the coastal town of\u00a0Bakio, about ten kilometers from Bilbao, Lucio Garay Zabala grew up\u00a0witnessing\u00a0the ancient ceremony of macerating grapes to prepare the famous\u00a0<\/span>txakoli<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(or\u00a0chacol\u00ed, a fruity, slightly sparkling white wine still produced in the Basque Country). Like many of his generation, the young villager set out to travel to the island of Cuba with the dream of making a quick fortune, specifically in the liquor business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Flirting with his destiny, on some date no one has been able to pinpoint\u00a0\u2014\u00a0between 1885 and 1891\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Lucio embarked with his older brother Fulgencio for Havana. A laconic reference in the\u00a0<\/span>Diario\u00a0de la Marina<\/span><\/i>\u00a0of March 15, 1892, places them there, citing them as partners in\u00a0Costals, Garay y\u00a0C\u00eda., a liquor depot\u00a0located\u00a0at 33\u00a0Mercaderes\u00a0Street. In\u00a0a short time, the emerging business launched the\u00a0<\/span>El\u00a0Portador<\/span><\/i>\u00a0anise brand and the\u00a0<\/span>El Globo<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>La Africana<\/span><\/i>\u00a0cognacs, but Lucio had his own plans in mind.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Probably looking for a new beginning or to exploit other market niches, the young man from Biscay went to Pinar del R\u00edo, where he first became known for his love of opera, his eccentric participation in arm wrestling competitions where he flexed his muscles, and as a proud enlistee in the Volunteer Corps. However, according to the\u00a0<\/span>Diario<\/span><\/i>\u00a0itself, he was discharged from the paramilitary organization in May 1895, for no\u00a0known\u00a0reason.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His\u00a0latent\u00a0passion was winemaking. Having understood the deep-rooted customs of the\u00a0Vueltabajo\u00a0tobacco growers\u00a0and putting his business acumen to the test, Lucio Garay sensed the promising potential of the well-known drink made from the\u00a0guayabita\u00a0fruit and invested heavily in the venture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nor can it be overlooked that, over the years, he diversified his capital as a shareholder or owner of urban properties, warehouses, small shops, the Charco del Negrito\u00a0tobacco plantation, the La Occidental copper mine in Mantua, the Hispano-Cubano\u00a0Sugar\u00a0Company\u00a0and the\u00a0Vueltabajo\u00a0Cigarette\u00a0Company.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Advertisement
Advertisement for La Occidental, the parent company of the Cuban-born Guayabita del Pinar, featured in the book \u201cCultura cubana. La provincia de Pinar del R\u00edo y su evoluci\u00f3n,\u201d by Adolfo Dollero.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Physically strong and with a solid reputation, Lucio Garay was inspecting the work in his factory when an old nail accidentally pierced the sole of his shoe. Lurking beneath his skin, the rust spread through his bloodstream, causing a septicemia that doctors certified as encephalitis. On April 15, 1927, the entrepreneur died at the age of 56.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Casa Garay<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Given\u00a0the paucity of historical documentation and the absence of an official patent registration, 1892 has been chosen as the founding date of the\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar brand. This adoption was based primarily on the\u00a0\u201c1892-1931\u201d\u00a0sign that\u00a0still remains\u00a0on the factory facade, and on secondary sources that confirm that, by that time, Casa Garay bottles were already appearing in\u00a0grocery stores\u00a0and display cases.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, the first years of the fledgling company were a testing period with many\u00a0ups and downs. The 1995 insurrection, which spread to Pinar del R\u00edo, undermined Garay\u2019s plans, as the fields where the\u00a0guayabita\u00a0was harvested\u00a0largely fell\u00a0under\u00a0Mamb\u00ed\u00a0control.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The end of the war brought new\u00a0surprises: in retaliation for having been a prominent contributor to the Spanish city council and a defender of the Crown\u2019s interests, his establishment was looted, with the resulting destruction of property and documents.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, an enterprising and tenacious man, Lucio Garay understood that the\u00a0ups and downs\u00a0were temporary and that all would return to normal once the storm had cleared.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0why he decided to stay in Cuba when many of his\u00a0fellow countrymen\u00a0returned to Spain.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the idea of\u00a0<\/span>\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b<\/span>reboosting\u00a0the business, he partnered with Salvador\u00a0Baduel\u00a0and Juan Bautista Aguirre\u00a0\u2014\u00a0with whom he had already founded a soda establishment at 68 Maceo Street\u00a0\u2014\u00a0to\u00a0establish, on April 6, 1899, Casa Garay y\u00a0Compa\u00f1\u00eda, a beverage factory\u00a0located\u00a0in his own residence at 104 Mart\u00ed\u00a0Street. A few months later, in October, he married Mar\u00eda Regla\u00a0Maz\u00f3n\u00a0Guzm\u00e1n, a native of Pinar del R\u00edo, a union that produced five children.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Casa
Casa Garay no longer has the industrial and touristic vibrancy of years past. Photo: Taken from the Facebook page El Viejo Pinar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trips back and forth to the notary to sign agreements and renew the brand\u2019s registration followed in line with the financial\u00a0ups and downs\u00a0and the development dynamics of the consortium. After the\u00a0previous\u00a0company was dissolved, on March 3, 1904, Lucio Garay registered the La Occidental brand in the Trademark and Patent Book. This brand was dedicated to the production of medicinal waters, soft\u00a0drinks\u00a0and liqueurs, which would later become the parent company of\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar. As sole proprietor, two years later\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in October 1906\u00a0\u2014\u00a0he obtained the license to\u00a0bottle\u00a0and market it under the\u00a0\u201cspecial\u00a0liqueur\u201d\u00a0label.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Samples
Samples of the bottles of liqueurs, waters and soft drinks marketed by Casa Garay. Photo: El F\u00edgaro, February 1918.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Harmless and treacherous?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar was produced in three varieties: one dry like rum, another sweet like liqueur, and one as a\u00a0creme. As a distinctive feature, each bottle\u00a0contains\u00a0at least a couple of\u00a0small fruits\u00a0inside.\u00a0The\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0gained popularity for its magnificent therapeutic properties as a tonic, diuretic and digestive; it was even claimed to be useful for healing and as a preventative against mosquito bites.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is of exquisite taste and harmless to your health,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>El\u00a0F\u00edgaro<\/span><\/i>\u00a0agreed in a promotional text published in February 1918. But\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0let anyone fall into that trap. The reality is that, with over 40\u00a0proof, the\u00a0so-called wine\u00a0was tremendous,\u00a0\u201csomewhat treacherous,\u201d\u00a0and like other challenging and legalistic rums, it could lead to episodes of drunkenness, get the most\u00a0\u201ceven-tempered\u201d\u00a0of drinkers into trouble with discord and quarrels, or, for many, even worse: end up getting\u00a0into trouble with the\u00a0wife.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Commercial
Commercial advertisement highlighting the therapeutic properties of Guayabita del Pinar. Photo: Diario de la Marina\/January 31, 1922.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The manufacturing process was carried out manually. The liquid was taken from the barrels to the bottling vats and,\u00a0from there, it was transferred to the bottles, without the intervention of mechanized devices. Although the payroll did not exceed twenty employees, the industry soon stabilized its production line at over 2,500 bottles per month. Wines were also produced\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the base wine was converted into muscatel,\u00a0absinthe, sweet\u00a0wine\u00a0and quinine\u00a0\u2014\u00a0anise, cognac, vinegar, soft\u00a0drinks\u00a0and perfumes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, in its November 1912 edition, the\u00a0<\/span>Bolet\u00edn\u00a0Oficial\u00a0de Marcas y\u00a0Patentes<\/span><\/i>\u00a0of the\u00a0Secretariat\u00a0of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor detailed the soft\u00a0drink\u2019s\u00a0stamp this way:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe brand consists of a semi-oval formed at the top by an\u00a0orle-shaped ribbon with the text\u00a0\u2018La\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar\u2019\u00a0in the center; below this and in the center are two guava trees, from which hangs a hammock in which an Indian woman reclined, holding a\u00a0cup\u00a0in her left hand. From left to right, the text reads\u00a0\u2018Delicious soft drink made with\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar,\u2019\u00a0followed by\u00a0\u2018Prepared exclusively by L. Garay y Ca.\u2019\u00a0The word\u00a0\u2018Pinar del R\u00edo\u2019\u00a0closes the semi-oval horizontally, beneath which is a\u00a0print shop\u00a0mustache\u00a0type\u00a0in the same font as the brand\u2019s letters.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Application
Application for renewal of the trademark registered in the Official Bulletin of Trademarks and Patents of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor in October 1921.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The quality of\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar, the flagship drink of Casa Garay, began to gain prestige and demand both inside and outside of Cuba. In 1911, the dry variety won the Grand Prize at the National Exhibition of Cuban\u00a0Liqueurs\u00a0held in Havana. But its consecration would come with third place at the Rome International Fair in 1924, and the gold medal won at the Plovdiv International Fair, Bulgaria, in 1988.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cork\u00a0stopper\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The secrets of so many successes ended up slipping away through the labyrinths of yesteryear. After the death of the founding father, his son Lucio, with a more aggressive spirit, remodeled and expanded the factory to the maximum potential. The\u00a0guayabita\u00a0tied the industry to the forest. Beginning in 1959, or rather, since its nationalization, for\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar\u00a0began a new era, in which state control over production and exports\u00a0established\u00a0a series of mechanisms that would seal its fate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Garay family, this\u00a0felt like hitting\u00a0a cork with a sledgehammer. While the triumphant motto was to oversee every step of the artisanal process,\u00a0remaining\u00a0faithful to its origins and striving to meet the demands of the beverage both at home and abroad, it is well known that disappointments and conflicts between rhetoric and action eventually surfaced. Of course, there will be no shortage of counterclaims that the industry declined due to the policy of economic subservience imposed by the United States.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Another
Another advertisement reaffirming Lucio Garay and Company as the sole producers of the exquisite liqueur, which on more than one occasion was the victim of counterfeiting. Photo: Diario de la Marina\/November 15, 1928.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The truth is that, for a long time,\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar fermented in the barrels of oblivion, until the 1980s, when an attempt was made to revive its former vigor: agricultural studies were conducted and a program was launched to plant 50,000\u00a0guayabita\u00a0plants across 20 hectares distributed across the municipalities of Guane,\u00a0Vi\u00f1ales, La Palma, San Juan and Los Palacios. This\u00a0somewhat revalued\u00a0the small industry, and the age-old pocket-sized potion of the\u00a0tobacco growers\u00a0reached the throats of Europe. To give you an idea: in 1988, the Pinar del R\u00edo\u00a0entity\u00a0had contracts with Poland and Spain. That year, 10,000 cases\u00a0were\u00a0exported, and by 1989, the plan had increased to 20,500.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At that time, the hit parade in Cuba was:\u00a0\u201cIf there\u2019s no beer, let\u2019s drink…Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar.\u201d\u00a0A\u00a0guaracha\u00a0message from the Original de Manzanillo, in the spirit-filled voice of C\u00e1ndido\u00a0Fabr\u00e9, reaffirming the idea of\u00a0<\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>growing\u00a0\u201calcoholically\u201d\u00a0in the face of difficulties. The main, and revolutionary, goal was to propose a solution to the problem of not having Hatuey\u00a0beer\u00a0during Carnival.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Until the\u00a0collapse\u00a0of\u00a0national tourism,\u00a0a few years ago, hundreds of tourists in the city of Pinar del R\u00edo would visit the old Casa Garay facilities daily, where they were astonished to see artisanal methods and equipment more than eighty years old in action. They would then move on to an adjacent tavern where they could placidly confirm that each sip of that unique\u00a0liqueur\u00a0was equivalent to tasting a forbidden fruit in a tropical paradise.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The shortage of raw materials and the absence of a saving recipe have led the\u00a0Guayabita\u00a0del Pinar to fall into repeated\u00a0\u201cslumps.\u201d\u00a0Let\u2019s\u00a0hope we can\u00a0make a\u00a0toast\u00a0to it\u00a0and not mourn the extinction of this intangible industrial heritage of the country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite the harsh reverberations of time and the dismantling it has endured, this native drink survives as a testament to a people\u2019s creativity and resilience. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12346255,"featured_media":330558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13902,13912],"tags":[22988,35057],"ppma_author":[34888],"class_list":["post-330555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cuba","category-cuban-history","tag-cuban-history","tag-guayabita-del-pinar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGuayabita del Pinar: heritage in danger of extinction | OnCubaNews English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are stories that are not patented. Like this one. 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