Havanna (Argentine company) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Havanna Holding S.A.

Havanna headquarters and former factory, photographed in January 2011
Type	S.A.
Traded as	BCBA: HAVA
Industry	Food
Founded	1948; 77 years ago (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)
Number of employees	70–80 (2020)
Parent	Exxel Group (1998–2003) DyG Group (2003–present)

Havanna is a famous company from Argentina that makes delicious food products. They are best known for their special treats called alfajores. An alfajor is like a sandwich cookie, usually filled with sweet dulce de leche. Havanna was started in 1948 by three friends: 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. You can find their products in many countries. These include Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, France, Israel, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Havanna's Story

How Havanna Started

Demetrio Elíades, Luis Sbaraglini, and Benjamín Sisterna, the founders of Havanna

Benjamín Sisterna worked in bakeries in his hometown of Santa Fe. When he was 18, he moved to Buenos Aires. There, he worked at a well-known bakery called "Confitería Los Dos Chinos." Later, Sisterna teamed up with Luis Sbaraglini. They started making alfajores under their own brand, "Santa Mónica." These were sold for a short time in Buenos Aires.

In the 1940s, Sisterna moved to Mar del Plata. He soon met Demetrio Elíades. Elíades owned a Cuban-style restaurant called "Confitería Havanna." It was in the center of Mar del Plata. People say the name "Havanna" was a tribute to the capital city of Cuba. But why it has a double "n" is still a mystery.

Elíades was not happy with his restaurant business. So, he decided to join Sisterna and Sbaraglini. They wanted to start a new business focusing on making alfajores. Their goal was to compete with "Gran Casino," the biggest alfajor company in the city at that time. The name Alfajores Havanna was officially registered in 1947. The old restaurant was completely changed into a factory. The first Havanna products were sold in January 1948.

Growing Popularity

The first products from Confitería Havanna used the same recipes that are still used today. The chocolate-flavored alfajores were a big hit. Soon, other flavors were added. By the 1950s, Havanna had eight stores in Mar del Plata. For a long time, tourists visiting the city loved Havanna's alfajores. The Havanna brand became a symbol of Mar del Plata and of Argentina itself.

In the 1960s, Havanna became the top seller in the city. They even bought out their main competitor, "Gran Casino" alfajores. Sadly, Luis Sbaraglini passed away in 1963, and Demetrio Elíades in 1966. Their families and other owners took over the company.

Changes in Ownership

In 1998, Havanna was sold to a local company called Exxel Group. The sale was for about US$85 million. At that time, Havanna made 5.5 million dozen alfajores each year. They had two factories in Mar del Plata. The company also had 130 shops in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. They employed 300 people, and up to 600 in the summer. Under Exxel Group, Havanna started opening stores all over Argentina.

By 2003, Havanna had financial difficulties. This was due to a tough economic time in Argentina between 1999 and 2002. Because of this, Exxel Group sold the company. A group of private investors called "Grupo de Desarrollo y Gestión" (DyG Group) bought it for only US$5 million. With DyG Group, Havanna grew into a global company. They expanded mainly in Latin America, reaching Brazil, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Venezuela. They also opened stores in Miami and Spain.

In 2018, Havanna earned AR$4,000 million just in Argentina. They were making 40,000 dozen alfajores every day. By 2020, Havanna had 370 locations. About 250 were in Argentina, and 120 were in other countries.

Havanna Coffee Shops

Havanna store in Mar del Plata, November 2005

Sign at the Havanna store in Caminito, La Boca, Buenos Aires

A big reason for Havanna's continued success is their coffee shops. These shops sell different kinds of coffee. They also offer classic Havanna products. These include alfajores, lemon cookies, brownies, cakes, and other chocolate and dulce de leche desserts. This idea was called "Café Havanna." The business grew very well. There are now 230 coffee shops across Argentina and in other Latin American countries, Spain, and the United States.

Even when many restaurants struggled, Havanna's franchise stores grew a lot. The coffee shops became a huge success. Havanna was seen as one of the most successful coffee shop chains. After facing financial problems around 2001, the company bounced back. It became a leader in opening franchise stores outside Argentina.

One reason for the success of Havanna stores in Buenos Aires is how much coffee people drink there. On average, people in Buenos Aires drink about 1 kilogram of coffee per year. This is higher than in 2009. However, it is less than the record set in 1969, which was 1.7 kilograms. In other parts of Argentina, people drink less coffee. They often prefer other drinks like mate.

In December 2016, Havanna opened a new factory. It is in the Parque Industrial of Batán, near Mar del Plata. This factory is very large, covering 55,000 square meters. It was expected to increase production by 50%. At that time, Havanna had 200 franchise stores in Argentina. They were making over 100 million alfajores each year.

Havanna Products

Havanna makes many tasty products. Here are some of their most popular ones:

Havanna Chocolate alfajor (filled with Dulce de Leche)

Havannets, 70% cocoa chocolate flavor

See also

In Spanish: Havanna para niños

• List of coffeehouse chains