The Supreme Court of Spain has ruled against two companies in the city of Valencia, Gesinta Invest Company and La Casa del Tabaco, for marketing the F series of the Nicaraguan cigar brand Condega. The court condemned the companies for imitating the design of the Cuban Partagás, celebrating the ruling as a win for “unfair competition” by the island’s tobacco monopoly, the Habanos SA corporation.
The lawsuit, filed in 2018, argued that the presentation of Condega cigars was “almost identical” to that of Partagás, infringing on agreements with Havana. The tension between Cuba and Nicaragua in the world of tobacco was highlighted by the ruling, illustrating the bitter rivalry between the two politically allied countries.
The similarity in the colors of the rings of the Condega brand and those of the Partagás D series was at the core of the lawsuit, leading to the prohibition of Gesinta and La Casa del Tabaco from selling Condega cigars. The Habanos SA corporation argued that the similarity of the rings contributed to Partagás consistently being at the top when it comes to cigar rankings.
The Condega brand, founded in 1997, has been able to take advantage of Cuba not only with technical knowledge but also with its fame and imagery, becoming a strong competitor in the international market. Estelí, the base of operations for Condega, has become Cuba’s strongest competitor in the international market and has attracted the attention of Cuban investors and businessmen.
Despite the legal ruling, the rivalry between the Cuban and Nicaraguan tobacco industries continues to heat up. Nicaraguan tobacco has gained ground among international consumers, especially those in the United States, with the perception of similar quality for a lower price. American businessman Rakesh “Rocky” Patel’s mega tobacco factory in Estelí is seen as a further challenge to the Cuban monopoly, with the potential to shift the balance of power in the world of tobacco production.
With the turnover figure for the Cuban monopoly to be announced at the upcoming XXIV Habano Festival, the battle for dominance in the global tobacco market continues to rage on. As the industry undergoes rapid changes, the rivalry between Cuba and Nicaragua is set to intensify, shaping the future of the world‘s most renowned tobacco-producing nations.