Stuck for a gift idea? – We do gift vouchers! Call us on 0115 911 0555 for more details or email eann@gauntleys.com
Stuck for a gift idea? – We do gift vouchers! Call us on 0115 911 0555 for more details or email eann@gauntleys.com
Melanio Oliva first started to grow tobacco in Cuba’s Pinar Del Rio region in 1886 although the operations were suspended while he fought in Cuba’s War of Independence. After returning from the war, Melanio resumed his operations. It was in the early 1920’s that Melanio’s son Hipolito Oliva took over the growing operations and continued to cultivate the Oliva family fields for several more decades.
As Cuba became overrun by the Communists, the tobacco landscape changed, so much so that Hipolito’s son, Gilberto Oliva, shifted from growing to brokering tobacco. In the early 1960’s when the political pressure became too great, Gilberto decided to leave Cuba and travelled from country to country in search of soils that could produce that distinct Cuban taste.
His travels took him to Honduras, Panama, Mexico and even the Philippines but it wasn’t until he landed in Nicaragua that he found the soils he was looking for. Today Gilberto along with his family are Nicaragua’s second largest grower of Cuban-seed tobacco.
In 2016 Oliva was acquired by J. Cortès Cigars N.V., the Belgian producer famed for it’s in-expensive machine made cigars.
The CEO of J Cortes, Frederik Vandermarliere, promised that he would NOT change the Oliva brand in anyway, but to build upon it, increasing the brand awareness whilst maintaining the quality. This he has successfully achieved, taking on a more hands-on approach.
Oliva cigars, irrespective of which part of their portfolio you buy from, have always been consistently good with an exquisite build quality. In 2014, Oliva achieved their greatest moment when the Oliva Melanio Figurado won Cigar Aficionados ‘Cigar Of The Year’ – a cigar that is as equally good today as it was then.
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