Havanna (Argentine company) facts for kids
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Havanna headquarters and former factory, photographed in January 2011
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| S.A. | |
| Traded as | BCBA: HAVA |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | Benjamín Sisterna Demetrio Elíades Luis Sbaraglini |
| Headquarters | Mar del Plata, Argentina |
| Products | Alfajores, cone-shaped alfajores, dulce de leche, cookies, puddings, coffee |
| Brands | Havanet |
| Revenue | AR$3,140 million (2020) |
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Number of employees
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70–80 (2020) |
| Parent |
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Havanna Holding S.A. (known simply as Havanna) is an Argentine company that makes delicious food products. They are most famous for their alfajores, which are sweet treats. The company started in 1948. It was founded by three people: Benjamín Sisterna, Demetrio Elíades, and Luis Sbaraglini. They began making alfajores in the city of Mar del Plata.
Today, Havanna also runs its own coffee shops. These shops are like franchises, meaning other people can open them using the Havanna name. The company also sells its products to many countries around the world. Some of these countries include Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Contents
Havanna's Story
How Havanna Started and Grew
Benjamín Sisterna used to work in bakeries in his hometown. Later, he moved to Buenos Aires and joined Luis Sbaraglini. Together, they started making their own alfajores under the name "Santa Mónica."
In the 1940s, Sisterna went to Mar del Plata. There, he met Demetrio Elíades. Elíades owned a restaurant called "Confitería Havanna." The name "Havanna" might have been a tribute to the capital city of Cuba. However, no one is quite sure why it was spelled with a double "n."
Elíades decided to team up with Sisterna and Sbaraglini. They wanted to create a new business focused on making alfajores. Their goal was to compete with "Gran Casino," which was the main alfajor company in Mar del Plata at the time. The name Alfajores Havanna was officially registered in 1947. They turned the old restaurant into a factory. The very first Havanna products were sold in January 1948.
The alfajores made by Havanna back then used the same recipes they use today. After their chocolate alfajores became popular, they added more flavors. By the 1950s, Havanna had eight stores in Mar del Plata. For a long time, tourists visiting Mar del Plata loved Havanna's alfajores. The brand became a symbol of the city and a well-known Argentine product.
In the 1960s, Havanna became the top seller in Mar del Plata. They even bought out their main competitor, "Gran Casino." After Sbaraglini passed away in 1963 and Elíades in 1966, their families and other owners took over the company.
Changes in Company Ownership
In 1998, a company called Exxel Group bought Havanna. At that time, Havanna was making a huge number of alfajores each year. They had two factories in Mar del Plata and 130 shops in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. Havanna employed hundreds of people. Under Exxel Group, Havanna started opening stores in other parts of Argentina.
By 2003, Havanna faced financial difficulties. This was due to a big economic problem in Argentina between 1999 and 2002. Because of this, Exxel Group sold Havanna to a group of investors called "Grupo de Desarrollo y Gestión" (DyG Group).
With DyG Group in charge, Havanna started to grow globally. They expanded into many countries, especially in Latin America. They also opened stores in places like Miami and Spain.
In 2018, Havanna earned a lot of money just in Argentina. They were making 40,000 dozen alfajores every day! By 2020, Havanna had 370 locations. About 250 of these were in Argentina, and 120 were in other countries.
Havanna's Coffee Shops
A big reason for Havanna's continued success is their coffee shops. These shops, called "Café Havanna," sell many kinds of coffee. They also offer classic Havanna products like alfajores, lemon cookies, brownies, cakes, and other chocolate and dulce de leche desserts. This idea became very popular. Havanna now has 230 coffee shops across Argentina and in other countries. You can find them in Latin America, Spain, and the United States.
Even when many restaurants struggled, Havanna's franchise stores grew a lot. The coffee shops were a huge hit. After facing financial problems around 2001, Havanna successfully made its brand strong again. It became one of the top companies for franchise stores outside Argentina.
One reason for the success of Havanna stores in Buenos Aires is that people there drink a lot of coffee. In other parts of Argentina, people often prefer other drinks like mate over coffee.
In December 2016, Havanna opened a new factory near Mar del Plata. This large factory was expected to increase their production by 50%. At that time, Havanna had 200 franchised stores in Argentina. They were making over 100 million alfajores each year!
Havanna Products
Here are some of the main products Havanna makes:
| Product | Flavor |
|---|---|
| Alfajor | Chocolate, 70% cocoa chocolate, dulce de leche, chocolate mousse, white chocolate (with dulce de leche), white chocolate with nut (with dulce de leche), quince jam. |
| Havannet | Chocolate, 70% cocoa chocolate |
| Cookies | Lemon, chocolate |
| Giant-size alfajor | Chocolate |
| Cakes | Chantilly cream |
| Easter eggs (seasonal) | Chocolate |
| Puddings | Traditional recipe |
| Dulce de leche | Traditional recipe |
| Coffee | Espresso |
See also
In Spanish: Havanna para niños
- List of coffeehouse chains
