Parallel brand

A parallel brand is a cigar name that exists in two industries at once: a Cuban marca sold outside the United States by Habanos S.A., and a separate non-Cuban brand sold mainly in the United States under the same or a similar name. Montecristo, Partagás, Romeo y Julieta, and H. Upmann are common examples. Most parallel brands existed before the 1959 Cuban revolution; families who left Cuba later used or sold the U.S. rights. Cohiba is different: it was created after the revolution by the Cuban state, so no exile family had owned it. See Cuban vs New World and Cohiba vs. Cohiba.