[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 209 (Thursday, December 21, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





              HONORING THE LIFE OF GILBERTO F. OLIVA, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MATT GAETZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 21, 2017

  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the life of the 
premium cigar patriarch, Mr. Gilberto Oliva, founder of Oliva Cigar Co. 
Gilberto passed away peacefully in a hospital in South Miami on 
Saturday, December 16, 2017, surrounded by his family and close 
friends.
  As a young tobacco farmer in Cuba, Gilberto built his endeavors on 
the blueprint of the American Dream. As an early adult, he moved from 
his family farm to pursue tobacco trading. The growing conflict under 
the Cuban dictatorship forced Mr. Oliva to flee to Nicaragua where he 
became a pioneer in tobacco cultivation.
  While Nicaragua was his home, Gilberto's business grew all over the 
world, including Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines. His product 
quickly became known around the world for its quality. In 1995, he 
established his own brand of cigar, and in 2006, he launched the Oliva 
Serie V, which Cigar Aficionado Magazine named Cigar of the Year in 
2014.
  In early 2016, Mr. Oliva was honored by the Asociacion Nicaraguense 
de Tabacaleros, the Nicaraguan Tobacco Association, with a lifetime 
achievement award. Yet for all his many successes, he never forgot his 
roots. He yearned for a free Cuba, and he instilled in his children a 
respect for personal responsibility and hard work.
  Gilberto is succeeded by his wife Carmen, his five children--
including my former colleague and friend, Florida House Representative 
Jose Oliva--and his fourteen grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I want to 
recognize the life of Gilberto F. Oliva. He was a great man, a world 
leader in the field of cigar manufacturing, and the patriarch of a 
wonderful family.

                          ____________________