Hav-A-Tampa

Hav-A-Tampa is an American cigar brand with roots in Tampa, Florida, where it was established in 1902. The brand became closely associated with the city’s cigar-making tradition and with Ybor City, the historic district that housed its factory. Its name and advertising slogan, “Won’t you Hav-A-Tampa cigar?”, contributed to Tampa’s popular association with the nickname “Cigar City.” The brand’s defining product is Hav-A-Tampa Jewels, also known historically as Tampa Jewels. These are small, machine-made cigarillos distinguished by a wooden tip. The wood tip became the brand’s most recognizable product feature and helped differentiate it from conventional untipped cigars and other mass-market cigarillos. Hav-A-Tampa Jewels have been described as one of the best-selling machine-made wood-tipped cigar products in the world. Hav-A-Tampa’s distribution expanded substantially during the twentieth century. Its Tampa Jewel product was distributed widely to service members in Europe, helping extend the brand’s visibility beyond its Florida manufacturing base. The company remained a significant cigar producer late into the twentieth century. In 1996, it reportedly generated $140 million in revenue from 859 million cigars, although those historical figures should be understood in the context of the former company rather than as current brand performance. Ownership changed during a period of consolidation in the international tobacco industry. In December 1997, the company was sold to Tabacalera for a reported $275 million. Tabacalera subsequently became part of Altadis in 1999. Imperial Tobacco later acquired Altadis, placing Hav-A-Tampa within the Imperial tobacco portfolio. In the United States, the brand is now associated with ITG Brands, Imperial’s U.S. tobacco business. Manufacturing also moved away from Tampa. The Ybor City factory was closed in 2009, ending the brand’s historic production presence in the district. Production of the cigars was subsequently carried out in Puerto Rico. The closure marked a major transition from a locally rooted Tampa cigar manufacturer to a brand operating within a multinational tobacco structure. Hav-A-Tampa’s identity rests on three linked assets: its long Tampa heritage, its distinctive wood-tipped format, and the high-volume distribution of its machine-made cigarillos. Unlike premium handmade cigar brands, Hav-A-Tampa is positioned around accessibility, recognizable format, and standardized production. Its historical importance is therefore tied less to luxury cigar craftsmanship than to the development and commercialization of the wood-tipped cigarillo category.

Hav-A-Tampa was established in Tampa, Florida, in 1902, during the period when the city was developing into one of the United States’ best-known cigar-manufacturing centers. The company operated from Ybor City, a district whose factories and immigrant cigar-making workforce became central to Tampa’s industrial identity. Hav-A-Tampa’s name and advertising helped reinforce the connection between the brand and the city. Its slogan, “Won’t you Hav-A-Tampa cigar?”, was associated with the popularization of Tampa as “Cigar City.” The company’s signature product was the Tampa Jewel, later widely known as Hav-A-Tampa Jewels. The product was a small, machine-made cigarillo with a wooden tip. The use of a wooden tip was an important point of differentiation in the mass-market cigar category, and the company is described as an early or pioneering user of the feature. The format gave the product a recognizable appearance and helped establish a distinct consumer proposition separate from both conventional cigarettes and larger cigars. Hav-A-Tampa expanded distribution during the twentieth century. Tampa Jewel cigars were distributed broadly to service members in Europe, giving the brand an international dimension and increasing familiarity with its products outside Florida. By the 1990s, the company was operating at substantial scale. Historical figures reported for 1996 indicate revenue of $140 million and production of 859 million cigars. These figures describe the former independent company and are not presented as current financial information for the brand. The late 1990s brought a change in ownership. In December 1997, Hav-A-Tampa was sold to Tabacalera in a transaction reported at $275 million. Tabacalera then merged with the French tobacco company Seita in 1999 to form Altadis. Imperial Tobacco later acquired Altadis, and Hav-A-Tampa subsequently became associated with ITG Brands, Imperial’s United States tobacco subsidiary. These transactions transferred the brand from an independent Tampa manufacturer into a multinational tobacco portfolio. The company’s physical relationship with Tampa ended in 2009, when its Ybor City factory was closed. Manufacturing was moved to Puerto Rico, reflecting the broader consolidation and geographic restructuring of tobacco production. Although the Tampa factory no longer operates, the brand continues to carry the city’s name and historical associations. Hav-A-Tampa’s principal historical contribution is its role in popularizing a machine-made, wood-tipped cigarillo format. Its importance lies in the combination of a durable regional identity, high-volume manufacturing, and a product design that remained visually and functionally distinctive. The brand’s story illustrates the transition of Tampa’s traditional cigar industry from locally based factories to production and ownership organized through multinational tobacco companies.

• 2009

  Ybor City factory shuttered

  [1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  The historic Tampa factory closed, and production was moved to Puerto Rico.

• 1999

  Integrated into Altadis

  [1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  Tabacalera became part of Altadis, beginning the brand’s transition into a larger international tobacco group.

• 1997

  Acquired by Tabacalera

  [1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  Tabacalera acquired the company in December for a reported $275 million.

• 1996

  Reported peak-era production scale

  [1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  The company reportedly generated $140 million in revenue from 859 million cigars.

• 1902

  Company founded in Tampa

  [1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  Hav-A-Tampa was established in Tampa, Florida, and developed manufacturing operations in the Ybor City cigar district.

• Wood-tipped cigar format established

  [1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  The company became associated with the wood-tipped cigar, a format that defined its signature Jewel cigarillos.

A heritage American cigar brand focused on accessible, machine-made cigarillos, particularly the distinctive wood-tipped Jewel format.

• Wood-tipped cigarillos

  Hav-A-Tampa Jewels

  Hav-A-Tampa Jewels, also called Tampa Jewels, are small machine-made cigarillos with a wooden tip. They are the brand’s signature product and have been described as among the world’s best-selling machine-made wood-tipped cigars. Their compact size, standardized manufacture, and distinctive wooden tip form the core of Hav-A-Tampa’s product identity.

• Won’t you Hav-A-Tampa cigar?

  United States

  The brand’s slogan directly connected the product name with Tampa and supported the city’s emerging “Cigar City” identity.

  Outcome. The slogan became part of the brand’s historical association with Tampa’s cigar culture.

  Source

• 2009

  Manufacturing moved from Tampa to Puerto RicoStrategy

  Background

  The company’s historic Ybor City factory was closed after decades of production in Tampa.

  Action taken

  Manufacturing of Hav-A-Tampa cigars was shifted to Puerto Rico.

  Aftermath

  The move ended the brand’s historic factory presence in Ybor City while preserving production under its corporate tobacco ownership structure.

  Source

• 1997

  Sale to TabacaleraM&A

  Background

  The independent Hav-A-Tampa company was sold during a period of consolidation in the tobacco industry.

  Action taken

  Tabacalera acquired the company in December 1997 for a reported $275 million.

  Aftermath

  The brand later became part of Altadis and subsequently entered Imperial Tobacco’s portfolio through Imperial’s acquisition of Altadis.

  Reported acquisition price. $275 million (December 1997)

  Source

• 2009

  Ybor City factory closes[1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The brand’s historic factory in Tampa’s Ybor City district was shut down. Production was subsequently carried out in Puerto Rico.

• 1999

  Hav-A-Tampa becomes part of Altadis[1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Tabacalera merged into the newly formed Altadis, placing Hav-A-Tampa within the combined tobacco group.

• 1997

  Hav-A-Tampa company sold to Tabacalera[1]Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The Hav-A-Tampa company was sold to Tabacalera in December 1997 for a reported $275 million.

1. 1Hav-A-Tampaen.wikipedia.org