2018 is an important year for the Nicaraguan tobacco industry: it is the 50th Anniversary of Joya de Nicaragua, the brand with the longest cigar history in the country.
Nicaragua is a land of volcanoes, of great lakes and then of cigars, of amazing products that have impressed fans of slow smoke in every corner of the globe. The history of this country is inseparable from that of the brand that, fifty years ago, has been the pioneer of the Nicaraguan cigar industry. In 1968, Joya de Nicaragua became the first tobacco factory to produce top quality artisan cigars in the largest country in Central America. From the beginning, was to produce products distinguished by the highest levels of excellence up to being today’s benchmarks for the quality standards of each cigar produced in Nicaragua. A daunting task, but definitely accomplished by the brand.
Smoking a Joya de Nicaragua means smoking the typical cigar of the Nicaraguan terroir, or the cigar that has set a precedent, triggered the process of diffusion and finally contributed significantly to the universal appreciation of the Nicaraguan tobacco, currently among the most sought after in the sector. The brand is not just a company that produces cigars but is synonymous with struggle, a firm will to go on continuing to renew itself and represent Nicaragua itself. Fifty years … in ten decades Joya de Nicaragua has highlighted a process of evolution that has led the brand to be the most renowned on an international level, an unprecedented success gained thanks to the people who are part of it, to their skill in working tobacco and their ability to tackle and overcome traumatic events.
Il Presidente di Joya de Nicaragua, Dr Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, è colui che sta dietro la rinascita del marchio più datato di sigari del paese centroamericano. Acquistò la compagnia nel 1994 ed ora, in occasione del cinquantenario, afferma ”Joya de Nicaragua è si un brand che vende sigari ma ciò che più conta è che esso è stato la forza attraverso la quale i lavoratori della fabbrica hanno contribuito a plasmare la storia del Nicaragua stesso”. Quella di Joya de Nicaragua è infatti la storia di una manifattura che si intreccia con quella del paese, una realtà che ha subito mutamenti passando dal fornire il sigaro ufficiale della Casa Bianca sino all’essere parzialmente posseduta dal dittatore Anastasio Somoza. La fabbrica fu bombardata e incendiata durante la rivoluzione per essere successivamente ricostruita dai suoi stessi lavoratori. Il background del marchio e quello del Nicaragua sono ricchi e complessi, permeati di perseveranza e capacità di assorbire urti senza rompersi, piegandosi ma mai spezzandosi. Il Presidente prosegue affermando: “Non vogliamo semplicemente celebrare il nostro cinquantesimo anniversario, ma utilizzare la nostra esperienza di vita vissuta e la conoscenza acquisita nel mondo del tabacco e dei sigari per gettare le fondamenta per i cinquant’anni a venire”.
Doctor Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, President of Joya de Nicaragua, is the one behind the rebirth of the oldest cigar brand in Central American country. He bought the company in 1994 and now, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary, he says: ”Joya de Nicaragua is a brand that sells cigars but what matters most is that it was the force through which the factory workers helped shape the history of Nicaragua itself”. That of Joya de Nicaragua is in fact the story of a factory that intertwines with that of the country, that has undergone changes from providing the official cigar of the White House to being partially owned by dictator Anastasio Somoza. The factory was bombed and burned during the revolution, to be later rebuilt by its own workers. The background of the brand and that of Nicaragua are rich and complex, permeated with perseverance and the ability to absorb hits without breaking, bending but never breaking. Mister Cuenca goes on to say: “We do not want to simply celebrate our fiftieth anniversary, but to use our experience of life lived and the knowledge gained in the world of tobacco and cigars to lay the foundations for the next fifty years”.
The brand faces its next half century of life with a diversified, but at the same time consolidated, portfolio together with an update of the packaging for most of its production lines. In 1968 Joya de Nicaragua was the first and only line, today the offer has evolved and expanded including regular productions, that are among the most renowned, such as Joya (Cabinet, Red and Black), Antaño Dark Corojo and Cuatro Cinco. A wide range of products for all types of smokers that cover different price ranges.
Mister Cuenca concludes: ”we will celebrate our anniversary throughout the year telling the story, revealing some secrets and revealing anecdotes that have shaped our brand and products that have gained worldwide fame. We will host events all over the world to allow our fans to get special gifts. In addition to the festivities, by the end of the year, a cigar made exclusively to celebrate the 50th anniversary will debut. We are proud to have a century of perseverance and hard work behind us. Join the celebrations of this achieved milestone, you can do so by immersing yourself in the detailed and fascinating history of Nicaraguan premium cigars.
Feliz cumpleaños Joya y ¡Buena suerte Nicaragua!
