General Cigar Company
Encyclopedia
General Cigar Company is one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in the world. It has been owned by Swedish Match
since 2005.
Later in the 1960s, Culbro and General Cigar acquired Gradiaz Anis, maker of Gold Label cigars and the Temple Hall factory that owned the Macanudo
brand name, ushering in a turn towards hand-rolled premium cigars. Macanudo, a small label made in limited quantities for the market in the United Kingdom
, was seen as the principal vehicle for growth in the premium cigar category and a careful effort was made to reblend the product using select binder and filler from the Dominican Republic
, Jamaica
, and Mexico
and Connecticut
-grown wrappers. Mass advertising was conducted in support of the brand, which by the early 1990s had grown into the best selling premium cigar label in the United States.
In 1978 General registered a trademark on the brand name "Cohiba
" for the United States, thereby obtaining the right to use that name of that premium Cuban cigar in the American market. Protracted legal wrangling followed which was finally resolved on June 19, 2006, when the U. S. Supreme Court
[ denied] the petition of the Cuban tobacco marketing agency, Cubatabaco
. As a result, the February 2005 decision of the U. S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
(Docket #04-2527), which confirmed General Cigar Company’s exclusive ownership of the Cohiba trademark in the United States, is final and is law of the case. General's Cohiba cigars now bear a disclaimer on boxes that they are not affiliated in any way with the Cuban brand.
From 1978 General Cigar has also produced the Partagas
and Bolivar cigar brands for the American market in competition with Cuban brands of the same name. Initial production of Partagas was conducted in Jamaica
, but the following year production moved to a modern 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
A similar trade dress
to the Cuban product has been used by General Cigar for its competing version of the Partagás brand, employing a red-and-gold band
scheme, save with the word "Habana" replaced by the date "1845" on the packaging.
In 1997, General Cigar acquired Villazon
, a company marketing non-Cuban versions of the leading cigar brands Punch
and Hoyo de Monterrey.
Swedish Match
Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes snus, tobacco, cigars , Red Man Chewing Tobacco, dipping tobacco, matches and lighters. It was founded as Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget by Ivar Kreuger in 1917 in Jönköping...
since 2005.
Company history
In 1961 General Cigar was purchased by a group of investors headed by Edgar M. Cullman, a fourth generation American in the tobacco industry. Approximately $25 million was paid in the acquisition of General, which was profitably selling about $30 million worth of cigars annually at that time.Later in the 1960s, Culbro and General Cigar acquired Gradiaz Anis, maker of Gold Label cigars and the Temple Hall factory that owned the Macanudo
Macanudo
Macanudo is an Argentine daily comic strip by the cartoonist Liniers. It is published in the newspaper La Nación. It appears on the last page of the paper. Just like Liniers' previous strip, Bonjour, Macanudo is very experimental and deals with meta humor...
brand name, ushering in a turn towards hand-rolled premium cigars. Macanudo, a small label made in limited quantities for the market in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, was seen as the principal vehicle for growth in the premium cigar category and a careful effort was made to reblend the product using select binder and filler from the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
-grown wrappers. Mass advertising was conducted in support of the brand, which by the early 1990s had grown into the best selling premium cigar label in the United States.
In 1978 General registered a trademark on the brand name "Cohiba
Cohiba (cigar brand)
Cohiba is a brand for two kinds of premium cigar, one produced in Cuba for Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for US-based General Cigar Company...
" for the United States, thereby obtaining the right to use that name of that premium Cuban cigar in the American market. Protracted legal wrangling followed which was finally resolved on June 19, 2006, when the U. S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
[ denied] the petition of the Cuban tobacco marketing agency, Cubatabaco
Cubatabaco
Cubatabaco, short for "Empresa Cubana del Tabaco," is the Cuban state tobacco company. The company was formed in 1962, after the Cuban tobacco industry had been nationalized by Fidel Castro's socialist government. Cubatabaco handled all production and distribution of Cuban tobacco products both...
. As a result, the February 2005 decision of the U. S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
(Docket #04-2527), which confirmed General Cigar Company’s exclusive ownership of the Cohiba trademark in the United States, is final and is law of the case. General's Cohiba cigars now bear a disclaimer on boxes that they are not affiliated in any way with the Cuban brand.
From 1978 General Cigar has also produced the Partagas
Partagas (cigar brand)
Partagás is among the oldest extant brands of cigars, established in Havana in 1845. The name is used today by two independent and competing entities, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for the...
and Bolivar cigar brands for the American market in competition with Cuban brands of the same name. Initial production of Partagas was conducted in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, but the following year production moved to a modern 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
A similar trade dress
Trade dress
Trade dress is a legal term of art that generally refers to characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging that signify the source of the product to consumers...
to the Cuban product has been used by General Cigar for its competing version of the Partagás brand, employing a red-and-gold band
Cigar band
A cigar band is a loop made of paper or foil fitted around the body of a cigar to denote its brand or variety. Although origins of the device are the subject of several legends, modern historians credit a European immigrant to Cuba named Gustave Bock with invention of the cigar band in the 1830s...
scheme, save with the word "Habana" replaced by the date "1845" on the packaging.
In 1997, General Cigar acquired Villazon
Villazón
Villazón is a town in southern Bolivia, on the border with Argentina. It sits directly across a river from La Quiaca in Argentina. The town is a busy trading hub, with large quantities of goods flowing north....
, a company marketing non-Cuban versions of the leading cigar brands Punch
Punch (cigar brand)
Punch is the name of two brands of cigars, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in Honduras for General Cigar Company, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match.- History :...
and Hoyo de Monterrey.
General Cigar's brands
- Ramone Allones (non-Cuban production in competition with the Cuban brand)
- BolivarBolivar (cigar brand)Bolívar is the name of two brands of premium cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic from Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco for General Cigar Company, which is today a subsidiary of Swedish Match...
(non-Cuban production in competition with the Cuban brand) - Robert Burns
- Cifuentes (US rights only)
- CohibaCohiba (cigar brand)Cohiba is a brand for two kinds of premium cigar, one produced in Cuba for Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for US-based General Cigar Company...
(non-Cuban production in competition with the Cuban brand) - Excaliber
- Garcia y Vega
- Gold Label
- La Gloria Cubana
- Hoyo de Monterrey (non-Cuban production in competition with the Cuban brand)
- Macanudo
- Partagas (non-Cuban production in competition with the Cuban brand)
- William Penn
- PunchPunch (cigar brand)Punch is the name of two brands of cigars, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in Honduras for General Cigar Company, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match.- History :...
(non-Cuban production in competition with the Cuban brand) - El Rico Habano
- Temple HallTemple HallTemple Hall is an early 19th-century Federal-style mansion and working farm near the Potomac River north of Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia.-History:...
- Van Dyck
- White OwlWhite OwlWhite Owls are American-made, machine produced cigars. White Owl cigars are inexpensive, costing around an average of $1.50. The logo consists of a Snowy owl perched on a cigar.-History:...
External links
- "General Cigar," on Stogiepedia.
- Neptune Cigar