established in 1968 is the oldest brand of cigars made in nicaragua . the company continues to manufacture its products today from its headquarters in estel today a major manufacturing center of handmade cigars with exports made worldwide . contents 1 company history 1.1 establishment 1.2 development 2 products 3 vitolas 4 see also 5 footnotes 6 external links company history edit establishment edit box of jdn anta o dark corojo doble fuerte cigars manufactured in nicaragua in 2011 . cigar making came to nicaragua in the aftermath of the cuban revolution of 1959 . in the years immediately following the overthrow of the regime of fulgencio batista by fidel castro the export of raw tobacco and finished cigars from cuba to the united states was initially permitted . this situation changed dramatically in 1962 when president john f. kennedy imposed a stringent embargo against cuba . owners of tobacco companies and leading growers had already fled the island in the aftermath of the revolution with its nationalization of the cigar industry . new areas for the cultivation of cigar tobacco were explored . one of the most promising of these new regions for tobacco cultivation were the fertile soils of nicaragua . while tobacco farming in nicaragua was begun in 1964 the first brand manufactured in the country was joya de nicaragua a company launched in 1968 . the spanish word joya is a false friend with the english word joy . the actual meaning of the word is jewel thus the brand name joya de nicaragua correctly translates as jewel of nicaragua . during the reagan administration s embargo of nicaraguan goods production of joya de nicaragua was moved across the border to honduras where production was handled in the facilities of nestor plasencia . 1 there was additionally difficulty with the trademark which had been sold prior to the downfall of the somoza regime . 1 the company was in disarray and was sold via a public auction . development edit in 1994 joya de nicaragua was purchased by dr. alejandro ernesto mart nez cuenca born 1947 in managua . 1 as a young man mart nez cuenca studied english language in england before attending mcgill university from which he obtained a bachelor s degree the university of south carolina from which he obtained a masters degree and vanderbilt university where he earned a phd in economics . 2 during the sandinista revolution mart nez cuenca a member of the sandinista party served as minister of foreign trade for the sandinista government . 1 having purchased the company in the aftermath of the revolution mart nez cuenca set about reviving the brand which had fallen in quality and esteem . as one observer put it the deterioration of joya de nicaragua had been the unfortunate result of a failed social experiment in which company operations were managed by factory workers . 1 old rollers and blenders were rehired and the company released what would become its signature cigar the joya de nicaragua anta o 1970 a spicy stick that recaptured the flavor of the brand s storied past . 1 joya de nicaragua was buoyed by the cigar boom of the 1990s in the united states a period in which demand for handrolled cigars far outpaced available supply . solid sales enabled the struggling company to bank reserve funds and to survive the downturn which followed . 1 funds accumulated during the cigar boom enabled mart nez cuenca to repurchase the joya de nicaragua trademark for the american market from tobacco giant altadis which had obtained it in one of its many acquisitions . 1 joya de nicaragua is known for making nicaraguan puros cigars which make use of binders fillers and wrappers from that country only . the brand is distributed in the united states by drew estate a country which in 2009 accounted for approximately 45 % of the company s global sales . 3 products edit anta o 1970 introduced 2002 . anta o dark corojo introduced 2009 . cabinetta serie celebraci n cl sico fuerte serie b cyb formerly known as cuenca y blanco introduced 2012 . cuatro cinco 45th anniversary limited edition introduced 2013 . joya red introduced 2014 . vitolas edit 4 3 4 x 42 available in boxes of 50 4 1 2 x 52 available in boxes of 20 see also edit list of cigar brands footnotes edit a b c d e f g h david savona an interview with alejandro martinez cuenca cigar aficionado april 1 2007 . alejandro mart nez cueca biograf a . martinezcuenca.org.ni . retrieved march 13 2011 . alejandro martinez cuenca joya de nicaragua tour 1 39 mark youtube.com . retrieved march 13 2011 . external links edit www.joyacigars.com joya de nicaragua factory tour at youtube facebook.com joyacigars twitter.com joyacigars joyacigars instagram.com joyacigars joyacigars retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title joya de nicaragua & oldid 734899739 categories companies established in 19681968 establishments in nicaraguacigar manufacturing companiescigar brandsnicaraguan brandscompanies of nicaragua navigation menu personal 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