A mesh of 91 Habano Houses scattered around the world reveals the inner fabric of Cuban cigars.

A cigar smoker who respects himself goes for a Habano no matter what, doing everything within his reach to enjoy its aroma, taste the quality of the product and capture all the myth that surrounds a good Cuban cigar. However, smoking a Habano is some kind of a ritual that takes a timely moment and, of course, an ideal place. The right place to enjoy a cigar peacefully could be one of the many Habano Houses, a network of stores that gives customers the possibility of getting the best cigars money can buy and puffing at them in a laidback atmosphere.

A propos of the upcoming Seventh Habano Festival, we delved into the conveniences and locations these deluxe warehouses have to offer. Jorge Perez, general manager of the Habano House franchise, talked to Excellencies magazine about the way this mesh of stores operates.

Can you tell us where this franchise, the Habano House, is standing right now? As we speak, we’ve got 91 Habano Houses all around the world. We have 18 in the Americas, 7 in the Caribbean, and 15 of those establishments are in Cuba, the largest concentration of all. In the case of Europe, we have 16 houses, plus 26 in the Middle East and Africa, and 9 in the Far East.

For us, making an qualitative assessment of the franchise is paramount, in terms of attention to customers and the quality of the services we deliver.

How do you assess the development of this franchise? Can you refer to its evolution in time? As I said at the top of this interview, the franchise’s underpinnings rest on quality and the kind of service we deliver to customers. The first Habano House got cracking back in 1990 in Mexico’s Cancun. At the onset, there were just 27 Habano Houses, that as a matter of fact, are recognized today as founding houses within the history of the franchise. There were several people, many connoisseurs and lovers of good cigars, who helped this franchise get started, people who showed confidence in the project, who pinned their hopes in it, even though it was something new from the word go. Time told them they were right.

From a qualitative standpoint, the franchise has clung to the same tactical approach. It still sticks to the basics that got the project going in the first place, but it’s been getting better with each passing year, bringing in new elements and concepts that go beyond the framework of a specialized store. The Houses are now PR centers for Cuban cigars and meeting grounds for smokers of all stripes, either big-time experts or rookies.

As franchisers, we work hard to provide our customers with tailor-made services and bind projects together, projects with an attitude that respect the customs and traditions of each and every country, but without losing the national identity of the place of origin.

The 91st Habano House at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel The 91st Habano House threw its doors wide open at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel in Havana. Sales of Black Coral jewelry, fashion shows and a humidor raffle were part of the grand opening ceremony on June 20, 2004. Penciled in by experts as one of the fanciest stores in the network, the new establishment is decked out with works of art made by celebrated Cuban fine artist Flora Fong, and features cigar booths, reading halls, VIP rooms, a bar, and email and Internet hookup.

In addition to the new Habano House’s commercial excellence, its location on the first floor of the Meliá Cohiba Hotel can`t be any better. General Manager Antonio de Dios Lorente says the 91st store of its kind offers 33 brands and 240 different bands, coupled with a line of Cuban rums, especially Havana Club. Open seven days a week from 9:00am to 2:00pm, the spot has already turned out to be the right place to meet, chat, make new friends and find information on Cuban tobacco and cigars.

For its part, Habanos S.A. International Corporation is putting its smart money on the franchise, a one-of-a-kind establishment exclusively designed to sell Habanos, plus other exclusivities from the world market related to this fine Cuban product.