A year ago, I stumbled across this beer at my local bar and even the owner couldn't say for sure whether it was surreptitiously imported from Cuba. He was told he had to buy it in bulk.
It looks just like the Cuban Cristal he had on his shelf (which a patron smuggled in).
It looks just like the Cuban Cristal he had on his shelf (which a patron smuggled in).
A Palma billboard went up in Little Havana calling it "La Preferida de Cuba." It was signed Bucanero USA. Quick googling shows Cristal — now taken over by the Cuban gov — owns Bucanero S.A.
People asked: Is Cuba breaking the embargo?
It led to this story miamiherald.com/miami-com/rest…
People asked: Is Cuba breaking the embargo?
It led to this story miamiherald.com/miami-com/rest…
For months, emails to the company that owns Palma — an LLC in California — had gone unanswered.
LinkedIn listed two of its employees as based in Cuba. No wonder Facebook posts were asking whether it was being sold by a Cuban agent.
Then a break:
LinkedIn listed two of its employees as based in Cuba. No wonder Facebook posts were asking whether it was being sold by a Cuban agent.
Then a break:
A source told me the Florida AG was investigating Palma. Now the next email I sent to Martin Wadley, listed as the owner of Bucanero USA, was quickly answered.
He spoke with me via WhatsApp video and said I could record it but could not air the conversation. Strange!
He spoke with me via WhatsApp video and said I could record it but could not air the conversation. Strange!
Wadley admitted he found a way to use Cristal's designs — even though for years other had tried to create a trademark here in the US and failed.
The family that owned the original Cristal brewery, now in Miami, is watching this develop. They own Wynwood's La Tropical brewery.
The family that owned the original Cristal brewery, now in Miami, is watching this develop. They own Wynwood's La Tropical brewery.
Meanwhile, competitors have popped up, including Tony Haber, and FIU grad who applied to trademark Mi Cristal by leaving out the 'i' — so just Mi Cr stal. (LOL)
He also owns a wine label called Tus Nalguitas (Your Little Buttcheeks). (LOL again)
He also owns a wine label called Tus Nalguitas (Your Little Buttcheeks). (LOL again)
This has led to legal wrangling, as you can imagine. But it also has led to consumer confusion: Is Cuban beer being illegally sold in the U.S.
The Cristal pretenders are banking on that confusion.
It's a fascinating (to me) story of leveraging nostalgia to sell a product.
The Cristal pretenders are banking on that confusion.
It's a fascinating (to me) story of leveraging nostalgia to sell a product.
Cerveza comunista or clever capitalismo? The answer is pretty clear. Now you just have to decide whether you want to partake. So I did a beer tasting at @uBs4Life, where I first discovered the single can of beer that led to all this. miamiherald.com/miami-com/rest…
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