Oliva Cigars History
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Like many other exiled Cuban tobacco-growing families, the Oliva Cigars story begins in the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, where Melanio Oliva, the family patriarch (for whom the Oliva Serie V Melanio is named), first grew tobacco in 1886. By the early 1920's Melanio turned the fields over to his 17-year-old son, Hipolito Oliva. After the Revolution in 1959, the Communists took control of the farms, so Hipolito's son, Gilberto, stopped growing tobacco and became a broker.
By the early 60's, the pressure on the farmers and brokers by Fidel Castro's regime was so great that Gilberto left Cuba and began traveling the world in search of tobaccos that had the distinctive flavor of Cuban cigars. Gilberto finally found fertile ground in Nicaragua where many of the Cuban growers he knew had already fled.
Because the Nicaraguan soil, climate and tobacco were very similar to Cuba's, Gilberto returned to growing tobacco. The crops were good and plentiful until 1976 when history repeated itself and the Sandinistas seized all of Gilberto's property, forcing him to flee again; this time, to Panama, where he opened a new Oliva cigar factory. One year, tragedy struck again when a hurricane destroyed the fields, forcing Gilberto to leave Panama. Nevertheless, the irrepressible Gilberto forged ahead, and for a span of over 40 years grew tobacco in Honduras, Mexico, and the Philippines.
Eventually, Gilberto became head of production for Nestor Plasencia Sr.'s factory in Honduras, and in 1994, the first "official" Oliva cigars rolled off the line. Determined to get back to Nicaragua, Gilberto worked hard. Eight months later he had saved enough money to open a factory in Ocotal. His sons, Gilberto Jr. and Carlos ran the new factory. Gilberto Sr. continued working with Señor Plasencia until he eventually rejoined his sons in Nicaragua.
The first Nicaraguan-made Oliva cigars had a mild blend of Dominican and Honduran long-fillers rolled in an Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper. Today, Gilberto and his family are Nicaragua's second largest grower of Cuban-seed tobacco and have made some of the most highly-ranked cigars in the industry.
