Habanos Festival 24 - A celebration of records

Habanos Festival 24 started with the number of participants - no less than 2,900 people from 108 countries had registered for the 24th edition of the Festival del Habano in the capital of Cuba: a new attendance record!

I made a documentary about it. It will probably be broadcast LIVE on YouTube in May/June 2024. Get your free ticket for this online event: please click here.

9 Minutes

The welcome evening on Monday was incredible! Located right by the sea, a very large location in the open air.

What the participants experienced

They visited Cuba's best tobacco plantations in Pinar del Rio and learned new things about Habanos during the event. Seminars also offered a variety of insights. Participants rolled their own cigars in a factory while tasting Habanos with champagne and other drinks. Cigar factories in Havana were also visited and new Habanos were celebrated at glamorous evenings. In addition, an international exhibition attracted 79 exhibitors from 11 countries, who presented their cigar-related products.

Pinar del Rio: Guided tour of the plantations.

A look into the Galera of a cigar factory in Havana.

Records

Information was also provided on the business development figures for Habanos s.a.. And here there was a new record to report: In 2023, sales of Habanos increased by 31% to 721 million US dollars, adjusted for currency effects. In terms of revenue, China has become the world's most important market for Cuban cigars. The second largest market by value is Spain, followed by Switzerland, Germany and the UK, which round off the top five.

A look into the Galera of a cigar factory in Havana.

A different picture emerges when looking at volume alone. In terms of volumes shipped, Spain is the largest market for Habanos, followed by France, China, Germany and Switzerland. If you break down the world by region, Europe accounts for 56 percent of Habanos sales, followed by 21 percent for the Asia/Pacific region. North and South America account for 13 percent, and 10 percent of sales come from Africa and the Middle East.

The global network of points of sale also grew compared to 2022, with a total of 159 La Casas del Habano, 1,280 Habanos Specialists, 2,669 Habanos Point stores, 17 Cohiba Atmosphere Lounges and 589 Habanos Lounges and Terraces.

Highlights at the Habanos Festival

The highlights of this year's festival, at which Habanos s.a. celebrated its 30th anniversary, were the presentations of the new products:

Quai d'Orsay Especial d'Orsay

The format is called Sobresalientes. With a length of 153 mm and a ring gauge of 53, this is another vitola to be added to the brand's permanent range. It will be launched on the market in boxes of 20.

Welcome to the Quay D'Orsay evening event.

A very nice set was included in the goodie pack at the Quay D'Orsay event.

Habanos is breaking new ground in the design of its boxes and showing courage with color. The brand, which was originally produced exclusively for the French market, celebrated its 50th anniversary at the festival. The event on Wednesday evening was all about these exquisite Habanos with the "French touch". A box containing five of these light yet very aromatic Habanos was available for purchase during the festival.

Quai d'Orsay Especial d'Orsay in the Sobresalientes format with a length of 153 mm and a ring gauge of 53 comes as a further vitola in the brand's permanent range.

Fulminant shows and an excellent goodie pack were on offer for the participants at the evening event.

Trinidas Robustos Extra

The Trinidad Robustos Extra in the "Dobles PT" format, with a length of 155 mm and a ring gauge of 50, will also be a permanent addition to the brand's range in future. It will be sold in boxes of 12 and has already been offered in gift boxes of three at the festival. This launch marks the 55th anniversary of Habanos, which is one of the top brands in the Habanos pyramid. Further new products from the brand were announced. Trinidad was the dominant theme of the festive closing gala.

Robustos Extra is now being added to the standard range.

The gala evening was dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Trinidad cigar brand. The participants experienced fascinating shows and a goodie pack that had it all. Here is some of it on my plate.

The participants were treated to some spectacular shows on the gala evening.

The awards

The prestigious "Hombre del Habano" award went to Ana Isel Mederos from the Cohiba manufacturer "El Laguito" in the production category, to the businessman Mohammed Mohebi in the retail category and to Annie Lorenzo, the publisher of the renowned cigar magazine "L'amateur de cigare" in the communication category.

Ana Isel Mederos from the Cohiba manufactory won the prestigious "Hombre del Habano" award in the production category.

The Habanos World Challenge was won by the Canadian team of Aaron Ignacio and Philip Ramos. This competition is not only about theoretical knowledge of the wide range of Habanos, the cultivation of tobacco and the production of cigars, but also about the perfect cigar service and the recommendation of suitable drinks to go with the cigars.

The auctions

Record: EUR 17.8 MILLION flow into the healthcare system in Cuba. That's how much the auctions of the special humidors raised.

One of the highlights of the gala, which was also attended by Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel, as in the previous year, was the auction of the exclusive humidors dedicated to the six global Habanos brands: Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Partagás, Hoyo de Monterrey and H.Upmann. With a total of €17.8 million, the auction set a spectacular new record and significantly exceeded the 2023 result. The Cohiba humidor alone achieved €4.5 million. As usual, all proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Cuban health service.

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