10 March 2025
Sales of Havana Club rum continue to grow both in Cuba and internationally according to Cristian Barré, the CEO of Havana Club International SA. Havana Club, one of several brands in the portfolio of Pernod Ricard and Havana Club International (HCI) is a joint venture between state-owned Cuba Ron and France’s Pernod Ricard.
Opening an event at the Havana Rum Museum to launch a new limited edition of its 25-year-old aged rum, Tributo 2025, Barré, said that it remained essential to have a very strong position in Cuba. “Cuba is fundamental for us because it is obviously the country of origin; that is where the brand was built, and tourism also plays an important role,” he observed.
HCI’s CEO noted that around 20% of the market for Havana Club is in Cuba, with much of the remaining 80% being exported in Europe to Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK, and in Latin America to Chile, Canada, Argentina and Mexico. Havana Club is also seeking to strengthen its presence in Asia and Africa, Barré noted, and has now set its sights on increasing sales in China, which he described as one of “the markets of the future.”
“All these strategies are designed so that when we have the possibility of accessing the USA’s market, we can enter with our 7 Años product or with other Havana Club and Pernod Ricard products” Barré added.
Highlights in this issue:
- Habanos SA reports a 16% growth in its global sales of premium cigars in 2024
- New law on land tenure expected this year
- Large fall in visitor arrivals recorded in January.
- Rubio announces new migration related US sanctions targeting foreign officials
- Russia’s Zarubezhneft now producing oil commercially in Cuba
In response to a question from Reuters about the toughening of US sanctions, Barré said that although the environment is difficult “it is not really new.” “We have (contingencies) in place to operate, whether with this US President or with another,” he said.
Barré stressed that the company continued to have a guaranteed supply of raw material despite the problems Cuba’s sugar industry continues to experience. It was doing so, he said, by working closely with the state sugar company, AZCUBA, to ensure a future supply. “We are the rum of Cuba,” he observed. “There can be no export strategy, no development without having a (firm) base in Cuba.”
Also speaking to the media in Havana, the brand’s National Director of Sales and Marketing, Ahmed Álvarez, said that Havana Club had registered the greatest growth in Pernod Ricard’s overall portfolio, with sales growing by 8% internationally and 55% in value between July 2023 and June 2024.
Álvarez noted that premiumisation had been consolidated, resulting in more value through a lower volume of sales as consumers sought seven year or older higher-quality rums, and that the greatest progress had been in the Cuban market through sales to visitors.
He observed that sales through Havana Club’s online store made an important contribution at a time when foreign currency earnings in Cuba from its historic national clients were difficult. Such purchases, he said, were made with international cards, from abroad and within Cuba.
Álvarez confirmed that despite the decrease in sugar production, the Azcuba Business Group continued to prioritise the supply of volumes necessary to produce the brand’s rums “in order to maintain the designation of origin.”
Products from the Havana Club brand portfolio are present in more than 125 countries. Havana Club is expected to collaborate with Habanos SA to launch at the next Habanos cigar festival in Cuba a new iconic range for introduction in Cuba in mid-2026. Tributo 2025 is available at a retail price of €450 US$486), initially through HCI’s online store and in some specialised stores.
10 March 2025, Issue 1270
The Caribbean Council is able to provide further detail about all of the stories in Cuba Briefing. If you would like a more detailed insight into any of the content of today’s issue, please get in touch.
