On February 29, 1968, Joya de Nicaragua opened its doors and became the first factory in Nicaragua to produce premium handmade cigars. Today the company still owns and operates the oldest cigar factory in Nicaragua. Now, Joya de Nicaragua has turned 50 years old and the company will be using all of 2018 to commemorate the milestone. This will also include the release of a 50th anniversary cigar.

 

In a press release, Joya de Nicaragua commented “Joya de Nicaragua will continue celebrating its anniversary throughout the year by releasing the history, secrets and anecdotes that have shaped the world-renowned brand and its products. Events will be held all over the world and audiences will get a chance to participate in special giveaways. To add to the festivities, Joya will also debut an exclusive 50th-anniversary cigar later this year.”

Joya de Nicaragua is a company that is greatly proud of its history, and it closely aligns its own history with that of its home country Nicaragua. The company was founded in 1968 by Simon Camacho and J.F. Bermejo. It’s well documented that Nicaragua’s dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle fell in love with Joya de Nicaragua’s product. Somoza visited President Richard Nixon at the White House where he brought Joya de Nicaragua cigars and that resulted in Joya de Nicaragua becoming the official White House cigar. Eventually, Somoza would become a partner at Joya de Nicaragua. However, the Nicaraguan revolution in 1978 led to the burning of the factory and nationalization of the company. Once peace came to Nicaragua in 1990, privatization returned to many of the state-run companies. In 1994, the company was acquired by its current owner Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca. Today Dr. Cuenca still owns and runs the company with his son, Juan Martinez.

The events leading to the company’s 50th Anniversary have started to be put in motion over the past year.  Late in 2017, the company decided to revamp the packaging of its oldest and most widely distributed brand – the Joya de Nicaragua Clásico. The new packaging contains throwback elements found on the original Clásico that was released in 1968.

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Concurrently the company is preparing for the next 50 years as brands such as Antaño Dark Corojo and Cabinetta Serie have undergone packaging upgrades.

“At the end of the day, Joya de Nicaragua is a brand that sells cigars. But what matters to me is that this brand has been the force through which the people of the factory have helped shape the history of Nicaragua itself.”, said Dr. Cuenca. “We don’t just want to celebrate our 50th anniversary, rather put all our acquired life experience and cigar knowledge to set the groundwork for the next 50 years to come.” he continued.

Joya de Nicaragua is asking cigar enthusiasts to use the hashtag #Joya50 on social media conversations related to the company’s 50th anniversary.

Joya de Nicaragua President Juan Martínez was a guest on our Prime Time Show back in October 2017. Martinez discussed his company’s history and gave a little insight into what was being planned for the 50th-anniversary celebrations.

2018 is an important year for several cigar companies. 50th-anniversary celebrations are currently underway for the Macanudo and Davidoff cigar brands.

Photo Credits: Joya de Nicaragua

Video Credits: Cigar Coop