The Havana-based Casa de Habanos Partagas store, regarded as one of the most prestigious Cuban cigar shops in the world, had more than 2.3 million dollars in revenues in 2011.
The facility’s director Abel Exposito Diaz told the press the increase in sales by more than $300,000, compared to 2010, is the result of the joint efforts and devotedness of the store’s staff.
Fellow writer Luke was there in November to pick up some cigars for everyone so we are glad to say we contributed to their success. From Luke’s feedback we can agree the service in there is outstanding.
Exposito Diaz explained that the revenue is a modest contribution to the revitalization of the Cuban economy at times when the country is striving to stimulate hard currency income and break the economic blockade imposed by the U.S. for more than five decades now.
Through selling the worldwide known Cuban cigars and with the celebration twice a year of the Friends of Partagas international meeting, the Casa de Habanos Partagas has had more than 47 million dollars in income since it was founded in 1991. That is a lot of D4’s!
Since the first Friends of Partagas reunion down to the present, the facility has donated more than $328,000 to the Cuban Ministry of Health, most of which has been allocated for cancer research programs.
Situated in Old Havana, in the back of the National Capitol, the store has been visited by personalities of the worlds of culture, politics and business, among them: Fidel Castro, who visited the House in 2002 accompanied by U.S. film director Steven Spielberg; Jack Nicholson, Gerard Depardieu, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas and Whoopi Goldberg, Eray from CTC, Luke from CTC (we had to add our names in)
The store is also part of the Partagas factory offering tours throughout the day, where you get to see how the cigars are made.