Havanna

Havanna is an Argentine food company best known for its alfajores, which are its signature product. Founded in Mar del Plata, it now also runs a coffee shop franchise and exports to many countries.

History

The company was founded in 1947 or 1948, depending on the source, by Benjamín Sisterna, Demetrio Elíades and Luis Sbaraglini, starting with alfajores made in Mar del Plata. Elíades owned the Confitería Havanna downtown, and the name is said to honour Havana, though why it has a double "n" remains unclear.

Chocolate alfajores became the best-known product, and over the following decades the brand became associated with holidaymakers on the coast. It was sold to the Exxel group in 1998 and to the DyG group in 2003, which pushed the expansion of coffee shops and franchising. It has been listed on the Buenos Aires stock exchange since 2016 and opened a plant in Spain in 2026.

Culture

Havanna alfajores are part of the Argentine Atlantic coast experience and have come to represent Mar del Plata and, for many, the country as a national product. The brand's coffee shops spread across Argentina and abroad, in a country where coffee consumption in Buenos Aires is notably high. Today its presence combines the alfajor tradition with a café offering.