- This article is about the Florida-based makers of the Oliva cigar brand. For the Florida-based growers of cigar tobacco, see Oliva Tobacco Co..
Oliva Cigar Co. the manufacturer of several brands of
cigars primarily grown and produced in
Nicaragua and sold worldwide. The family-owned company traces its roots to patriarch Melanio Oliva, who began growing
tobacco in
Pinar del Río, Cuba in 1886. In 1964, in the aftermath of the
1959 Cuban Revolution, Melanio's grandson Gilberto Oliva emigrated with his family to
Spain before eventually moving to
Nicaragua and reentering the tobacco business. In 1995 Gilberto and his son, Gilberto Jr., launched the "Gilberto Oliva" brand — a label which evolved into today's Oliva. The company is based today in
Miami Lakes, Florida.
