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 re-entering the tobacco business.
[1] The business was assumed by Hipolito's son, Gilberto Oliva Sr., who continued until the 1959 revolution, at which time he ended his career as a grower and began working as a tobacco broker.
[1] This job took Gilberto Oliva to various countries as a buyer and eased his decision to emigrate from his native land for Spain in 1964 and from there to Nicaragua.
[3] Gilberto Senior spent the next six years growing tobacco in Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and the Philippines before returning to Nicaragua in 1995.
[4] The cigar market grew rapidly in 1995 and 1996, but by 1997 the established giants of the industry had reacted to the increase in demand, forcing many underfinanced upstarts to fall by the wayside.
[2] Oliva's survival was made possible due to the stock of tobacco which Gilberto Senior had produced and which was aging in storage in Nicaragua.
[4] The manufacture of spicy Nicaraguan-grown "puros," initially undertaken for financial reasons due to the down market, had the unintended consequence of improving the quality of the brand, thereby cementing its position in the marketplace.
In addition to its array of Oliva-branded products, the company also makes a line of squat, thick cigars bearing the brand-name "NUb.
[2] Lower-end products are manufactured in a smaller facility located in Danlí, Honduras and shipped to Nicaragua for final export.