Impressions from the 28th Feria Internacional de La Habana ...

For many years now, the State of Hesse has had its own booth at the FIHAV.
Jürgen Nicklaus (right) is the President of the Stefan Messer GmbH in Havana.
He has excellent connections to Cuban government departments, as well as
European companies seeking to gain a foothold in the Cuban market. In our
picture is Fidel Castro’s oldest son, Dr Fidel Castro-Diaz-Balart (center) at
the Hessian booth in conversation with Wolfgang Burkart and Jürgen Nicklaus.
Impressions from
the 28 th Feria Internacional
de La Habana
(Havana International
Trade Show – FIHAV)
The Havana International Trade
Show is, of course, a favourite
destination during the trade
show season in October.
Havana Club proudly presented
its world-renowned products at the
FIHAV. (For a portrait of the company,
see BREWING AND BEVERAGE
INDUSTRY ESPAÑOL, 3/2006, p. 26)
“Florista” (whose
“civilian” name
is Yamina Grecy)
is a Havana institution.
She shows up every -
where – in restaurants,
late-night discos,
and here at the
FIHAV – to sell
her roses.
In the background is the plan of the
exhibition halls of the FIHAV. The trade
show is enormous. It is the largest show
in the Caribbean. Shown here from left:
Dieter Nolte, a beverage wholesaler from
Hannover; Wolfgang Burkart of Verlag
Sachon; Lourdes Morell Santos of the
Cuban Chamber of Commerce; Rüdiger
Ruoss; and Fritz Briem, owner of Lupex,
a hop trading company in Au in the
German Hallertau region.
After a long walk through the trade
show grounds, it’s time for a break
with a stimulating espresso and some
mineral water at the Hessian booth
(from right): Translator Jesus Irsula,
Lourdes Morell Santos of the Cuban
Chamber of Commerce and Rüdiger Ruoss.
Los Portales, a Cuban joint venture Nestlé
partner, is involved in packaging mineral
waters and soft drinks. At the FIHAV,
the company had an impressive booth.
(For a portrait of the company, see
BREWING AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
ESPAÑOL, 02/2006, p. 14)

Michael Ritter of the Hessian Ministry of Economics
(2 nd from right) was in charge of the Hessian booth.
He made sure that everything went without a hitch.
In the picture: Wolfgang Burkart (left), Jürgen Nicklaus (right),
and Jürgen Nolte.
Still full of energy (from left): Rüdiger Ruoss, Jürgen Nolte,
Fritz Briem, and Wolfgang Burkart had no idea at this point,
how large and expansive the FIHAV grounds really were.
Regulars at the FIHAV for many years now (from left):
Bernd Uhrig, Presidente Limar Trade; and Helge Ulrich
Schrader and Hildegard Toussaint, both of IFZ
Ingenieurbüro und Consulting, Berlin.
Jörgen Hößler, Grünbeck Waseraufbereitung (centre)
welcomes German visitors.
A visit to the brewpub “Taberna de la Muralla” at the Plaza
Veija in the centre of Havana (for a profile of the pub, see
BRAUINDUSTRIE 10/2004, p. 40). From left: Wolfgang Burkart;
brewmaster Rubén Maceo and his colleague; Robert Sprinzl,
Rhein-Main-Malz; Fritz Briem and Karl-Heinz Dohlich, both
Cuba experts with an office in Havana (aadtrading@enet.cu).
A small breakdown of our taxi on route to an
appointment: Other drivers immediately stopped
to help ... and to check their own vehicles.
Brimming with optimism at a booth from Baden-Württem -
berg (from left): Hans-Jürgen Bähr, Collodin Klebstoffwerke;
Andreas Pfister, Baden-Württemberg International;
and Hans Feil, SHW Werkzeugmaschinen, Aalen.
Specialist for floor coverings: Michael Diegmann,
Firma Bordstein-Ries, Leinefelde, Germany.