20% of all Spanish beer production is currently distributed in the Cuban marketafter exports of this product to the Island have skyrocketed in recent months, making Cuba the second most important market for the international reach of Iberian brewers, the newspaper reported. The Independent.
It is the first time that Cuba is ahead of the United Kingdom and France, high consumers of Spanish beers, in a ranking headed by Portugal. The data from the most recent socioeconomic report on this sector, endorsed by the Association of Brewery Producers of Spain, demonstrates this.
The report maintains that “Spanish beer exports to Cuba have experienced a sustained increase between 2021 and 2023. In 2021 they grew by 62%; in 2022, they soared another 196%; while in 2023 they grew an additional 193%, to exceed 800,000 hectoliters.”
Jacobo Olalla Marañón, general director of Cerveceros de España attributes this growth to “greater commercial opening in Cuba after the flexibility of imports that since 2020 has allowed the import of beer and other various goods,” he told The Independent.
“The growth of tourism in Cuba has boosted the demand for beer in a country with a strong presence of Spanish hotel companies,” he added. However, these statements contrast with a reality in which The number of visitors to the Island is not encouraging at all. compared to pre-pandemic levels.
These data are interesting if one takes into account that In April of this year the Cuban Government announced the increase in tariff rates to the import of malt beers. According to Joint Resolution 2 of 2024, of the Ministries of Finance and Prices and of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, the tax will now be 20%, or 10% when the merchandise comes from “most favored nations.”
This measure, which came into force immediately, mainly affects MSMEs that import this product. Although it could be expected that it would have an impact on the presence and prices of beer in private businesses on the Island, this has not happened.
Currently, the national beer production is too short and brands such as Cristal or Bucanero are sold sparsely and at higher prices than imported ones. Furthermore, according to the BeerAdvocate website, Cristal is ranked 249 on the list of the 250 worst beers in the world.
Another element within the Cuban beer production panorama is the Parranda brand, launched in 2022. The brand is owned by Cervecería Cubana SA, a joint company between the Cuba Ron SA corporation and Swinkels Family Brewers Spain SL, a Spanish subsidiary of the group. namesake based in Holland. Its plant is located in the Mariel Special Development Zone.
Recently, Parranda was questioned by Cuban consumers after several batches of the product “spoiled” and were withdrawn from the market. On its social networks, the company stated that the deterioration of the drink occurred “due to inadequate storage conditions,” despite the fact that this beer has a shelf life of half a year under favorable conditions.
