The Terra Magica cigar will be produced in Cuba.
After several years of preparations, the Camelot company from Zagreb will present a new Croatian cigar which is expected to dominate the Croatian market in the next several years, reports Poslovni.hr on June 2, 2017.
Alen Kosanović is the owner of Camelot, a distributor of Habanos and Davidoff cigars for Croatia. He said that all distributors have the opportunity to propose a regional cigar project every few years. “The process is complicated and takes several years,” explains Kosanović. “You first choose a factory and a brand of cigars, and then a form which is crucial for the creation of flavors. And then there is also the name. In our case, we have opted for Terra Magica, in order to pay tribute to Istria, which has integrated cigars into its tourist offer,” says Kosanović.
Another link to Istria is a distinctive red color of the soil, similar to soil in the Piñar del Rio region of Cuba, where the best tobacco in the world is produced. “The brand for which we applied is Ramon Allones, one of the oldest ones. After the application is submitted, you have to wait for the approval. It takes several years for the production to start,” explains Kosanović, adding that Terra Magica will be produced in Cuba, while Camelot selected the tobacco regarding taste and strength, as well as the name and packaging.
The cigar will be exclusively owned by Camelot for two years. “After that, Habanos has the right to include the cigar into its regular portfolio,” says Kosanović. Habanos is a subsidiary of the Cuban state tobacco company Cubatabaco and controls the promotion, distribution, and export of Cuban cigars. For the purpose of controlling the distribution chain, Habanos cooperates with just one distributor in each country. The company has the rights to all Cuban cigar brands which are exported from the Caribbean state.
Camelot already has experience in similar projects, back in the year 2009, it proposed the first Croatian cigar Vegas Robaina-Marshal, which became a global hit.
Terra Magica could repeat its success in the global context. Its price will be 149 kunas, and there is a remarkable interest in the world for such cigars, says Kosanović. “We already know that this will be the best-selling cigar in Croatia and Slovenia during this and, probably, next year,” adds Kosanović. Given the potential of the entire market, that is not negligible. According to him, the Croatian market of handmade premium cigars is currently worth about five million euros per year.
