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Roberto Sánchez Esquivel, copresidente cubano.
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Alexandre Carpenter, copresidente brasileño.

BRASCUBA celebrates its 20th anniversary with the signing of a new project at the Mariel Special Development Zone

Two decades of excellence, quality, consistence and professionalism might sound quite simple, but they entail a profound sense of commitment and respect, especially when it comes to succeeding in these times. Nonetheless, BRASCUBA Cigarrillos S.A, the Cuban-Brazilian joint venture made up of Tabacuba, managed by the Cuban Agriculture Ministry and Souza Cruz –the leading group in the South American country and member of the British American Tobacco (BAT)–, celebrate 20 years of traditions as a cigarette producer that relies on the best black tobacco in the world.
“Working in BRASCUBA is an enriching experience. It’s all about a solid company that signed a 25-year contract and is now setting out for new challenges we’re prepared to meet thanks to the quality of our company’s human resources. The growing market demand has made the company think of a different future and that’s why both partners decided to try their hands at the Mariel Special Development Zone and found a new factory there, totally different from the existing one, a project approved by the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers for a 40-year period, starting in 2018,” Roberto Sanchez Esquivel, co-president on the Cuban side, explained.
Currently, the company owns a working capital of $11.6 million and the new investment already totals $58.4 million on each side, which accounts for over $116 million. BRASCUBA features a solid product portfolio, consisting of the Popular, Cohiba, H. Upmann, Hollywood and Lucky Strike brands.
“We’ve set up new record highs year in and year out, with strong growth in the domestic market and in the field of exports. We’re expected to finish 2015 with an output increase of over 17 percent, plus 50 percent in terms of exportations”, BRASCUBA Co-president Alexandre Carpenter commented.
By the end of 2016, BRASCUBA is estimated to churn out 4.2 billion cigarettes. On the other hand, the production should reach way beyond 8 billion units with the new project at Mariel Special Development Zone.
“We’re a company that has always put its smart money on Cuba, the development of its culture and its people. Our career has been quite interesting and it wouldn’t have been possible without the unconditional supports of our Cuban workers and friends,” Alexandre Carpenter pointed out.
As for the new horizons, the company plans to expand into the US market, thinking about new products and mindful of the difficult task of introducing cigarettes in a foreign market, since most of the companies produce them for national consumption. “That’s why we’re working on a solid strategy, since we mainly sell black cigarettes, whereas the world trend points to the consumption of cigarettes made with Virginia tobacco. Therefore, we’ll have to keep the market niches we’ve already carved, but we have to make blends to meet ongoing trends,” Sanchez Esquivel outlined.
In this sense, the upcoming Havana International Trade Show could be a launching pad for BRASCUBA’s new marketing campaign now that the company is turning two decades old.
BRASCUBA will usher in 2016 with the satisfaction of having achieved a strong project, with two decades of fruitful outcomes under its belt and promising years on the road ahead, always willing to offer the finest black tobacco money can buy, and enhancing its portfolio. It’s all about highly-coveted cigarettes produced by a companied that finds inspiration in Cuba’s culture and its people.