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HAVANA CLUB INTERNATIONAL
20 years winning over the world
Livia Rodríguez Delis
The Havana Club International Corporation (HCI S.A.)
is today demonstrating its success in the world of
liquors with a tenfold increase in its sales during
the 20 years since it was founded.
Established November 1993 through an association
agreement between the French company Pernod Ricard
and Cubaron – in the presence of the leader of the
Revolution, Fidel Castro – the corporation has
established itself in 120 countries and is currently
one of the 14 most important brands at the
international level.
“The 400,000 cartons of rum with which the company
began its sales in 1994, has today risen to almost
four million, despite the fact that, as a
consequence of the economic blockade, our products
do not have access to the United States market,
which represents 40% of the consumption of this type
of alcoholic drink worldwide,” affirmed Jerome
Cottin-Brizonne, HCI general director.
The brand has three distinguishing characteristics,
the combination of which make it an excellent
product with a genuine Cuban flavor: rum distilling
masters, who have zealously maintained the tradition
for more than 150 years; quality Cuban soil and the
country’s excellent sugar cane, with essential
syrups for a natural maturing process; and high
technology with the scientific know-how in the San
José de las Lajas factory, located in Mayabeque
province.
The three-year rum, an essential ingredient in
cocktails; the seven-year rum, distinguished by its
fruity complexity; the exclusive Maestros’
Selection, plus the Máximo for the most demanding
tastes, are the four central products within the
wide gamut of Havana Club brands distributed by the
Pernod Ricard network, the largest in the liquor
industry.
As in the case of Cuba’s inimitable cigars, each
bottle bears a state seal of guarantee to protect
the brand and identify Havana Club as a genuine
national product.
The company’s work goes beyond commerce. In 2000 it
opened the Havana Club Rum Museum as a tribute,
reflecting a desire to convey the identity, arts and
energy of the city which gives its name to the rum,
the Cuban capital.
In confirmation of its commitment to Cuba, in 2007,
HCI created the global platform Havana Cultura to
promote the country’s artistic creativity in all its
manifestations, through which there have been
countless initiatives such as a scholarship program
for young exponents of Cuban contemporary art.
In 2012, with the help of universities and doctors,
the joint venture initiated the educational project
“Tu decides” (You decide), which supports activities
in the country to make new generations aware of the
dangers of consuming alcoholic drinks in
adolescence, through visits to cultural centers and
workshops on how to prepare alcohol-free cocktails.
For the Havana Club International corporation, the
future is promising as, according to its director
Pierre Pringuet, these 20 years of sustained and
satisfactory results provide strength to look ahead
to the future.
“This is a story of men and women; we began with six
people and are now more than 500 workers, enjoying a
market which is as enviable in Cuba as beyond its
borders and we have the goal of going beyond that.
We have planned an investment process in our
industry to increase productive capacity and develop
marketing, as we want to keep our clients and move
into other regions, such as Asia.”
In that context Jerome Cottin-Brizonne affirmed:
“Only the name on the label is changing to Havanista,
but Havanista is Havana Club. With this new label we
will be creating the first brand of rum distilled
with 100% premium Cuban products to enter the United
States when the blockade is lifted.”
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