The Cuban government sold rum abroad under the Havana Club name as early as 1973, focusing on Havana Club because (unlike the Barcardi family) the Arechabala family had not established plants outside of Cuba and so could not produce a competing brand.
The Cuban government sold rum abroad under the Havana Club name beginning in 1972, focusing primarily on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The government focused on Havana Club because (unlike the Barcardi family) the Arechabala family had not established plants outside of Cuba and so could not produce a competing brand.