How Habanos S.A is on the rise to becoming a leading Cigar producer in Africa.
The kingdom of Morocco is rich with fertile soils, good fertilizer and produces 75% of the world’s best phosphate in the world.
All these qualities are why The Kingdom of Morocco is the home ground for Habanos S.A, a leading producer, and distributor of premium cigars and cigarettes in Africa.
“Cigars are a very important market in Morocco because our country imports 20 million dollars annually on behalf of cigars,” says 29-year-old Moulay Omar Zahraoui, CEO and co-founder of Habanos S.A.
A true proudly Moroccan product, Habanos works with more than with 500 farmers to grow tobacco on 120 hectares of tobacco plantations.
“We’re specialized in developing premium & sophisticated handcrafted Moroccan cigars!”
– Moulay Omar Zahraoui
They offer three different products; cigars, cigarillos and cigarettes.
Each cigar they produce is composed of three types of tobacco leaves, the wrapper, the binder, and the filler, all contributing to their premium quality.
Co-founded in 2011 by the successful entrepreneur and his family, Habanos S.A. was created in the industrial zone of Ain Sebaa in Casablanca Morocco.
“We’re specialized in developing premium & sophisticated handcrafted Moroccan cigars!” he says proudly.
Zahraoui is a representative of the success of science behind the company with great ambitions.
“After the liberalization of the tobacco sector I got the license of tobacco manufacturing and distribution and I wanted to invest in this project,” Zahraoui says.
Today, Habanos S.A. prides itself in being one of the first cigar factories in Africa. The group plans to provide payment flexibility to each of its distributors in Africa
The Moroccan National Company is a leader 100% in the premium cigar industry Handcrafted from the finest tobacco grown in the Kingdom of Morocco.
The cigar manufacturing industry is saturated with multinational competitors and therefore not easy to integrate.
“Our most interesting anecdote is that we were sued by the Cubans and we won the lawsuit and we asked for compensation of twenty million dollars,” he says.
Despite some of these challenges faced by Zahraoui he is still optimistic about the future.
His goal is to open a subsidiary throughout Africa and in the United states, of which they have already signed a contract for.
“Our group will provide payment flexibility for each distributor in African countries for a credit of one million dollars for each distributor of manufactured tobacco. It is thanks to policy of his majesty King Mohamed VI that encourages African countries for the development, industrialization and creation of jobs,” Zahraoui says.
While last year was a milestone for the company as they hosted one of the first cigar trade shows in Africa, this year they plan to invite all cigar aficionados and tobacco distributors to their second cigar trade show in Casablanca, the African Cigar Capital in December.
The company has signed an agreement with the US group of $500 million.
In addition, they expect to achieve export revenues of $1 billion in the near future.
“Africa is full of opportunities for any kind of business and not only ours,” he adds.
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