La Gloria Cubana

LA GLORIA CUBANA BRAND HISTORY

La Gloria Cubana originated under the expertise of blending legend Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, whose family roots can be traced back to cigar-making in Cuba for generations. La Gloria cigars gained immense popularity during the early days of the Cigar Boom of the 1990s when demand for premium, handcrafted cigars soared exponentially.

The advent of Cigar Aficionado and the publication’s insightful cigar reviews and ratings served to promote both new and historic brands to an eager consumer audience. Young brands like La Gloria benefitted immensely from the burgeoning focus connoisseurs placed on boutique alternatives to traditional Cuban-legacy labels well-known in the premium U.S. cigar market. In the spring of 1993, a high rating for La Gloria Cubana Wavell and a Cigar Aficionado article spotlighting Perez-Carrillo’s family-style cigar operation catapulted the brand’s sales to stunning new levels.

As La Gloria cigar production grew within a modest, Miami-based factory, demand for skilled cigar-rollers also increased. Many competitors looked to Perez-Carrillo’s factory to poach experienced cigar-makers, due the brand’s visible reputation. And, having been at production capacity in Miami for some time, circumstances necessitated the company’s expansion with an advanced operation in the Dominican Republic.

Following years of rapid growth, Perez-Carrillo sold La Gloria Cubana to global conglomerate Swedish Match, the parent company of General Cigar in the late 1990s, but stayed on with the company as the brand’s master-blender and ambassador for more than 10 years.