Yesterday, executives from Habanos S.A. told international media that the Cuban cigar company was waiting for the U.S. embargo to end and expected to “conservatively” capture 25-30 percent of the U.S. market once that happened. The speculation of course carries a bit more importance after President Obama announced a normalization of relations with Cuba last year with an ultimate goal of ending the embargo. If you are taken back by capturing 25-30 percent of the U.S. market, you might want to sit down. The executives went on to say that the Cuban company expected to eventually capture 70 percent of the U.S. market, which is about the average Habanos has worldwide in other markets. Those claims are bold, really bold. And when asked how it would possibly be able to supply this amount of cigars, the executive decided it was time to stop speculating, although they did say they had a plan. Now, the U.S. is likely already the largest market of Cuban cigars in the world, even with the embargo making the importation of Cuban cigars illegal, but 25-30 percent of the market is an astonishing number. About the numbers. There are two key ones to understanding how realistic this ...
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