THE CUBA REVIEW 23 



Bakers Chief Consumers of Flour 



The importing jobbers are the leading factors in the Cuban flour market, and their 

 importance is increased by the close relations which they maintain with the bakers. The 

 jobbers grant the bakers credit on their purchases and aid in financing their business. 

 In many cases the jobber holds a lien on the baker's property. 



Bread is not baked in Cuban homes. This is the result of custom and of the lack 

 of suitable equipment. Domestic baking of bread in Cuba is practically confined to 

 American and English homes and is of no commercial importance. For these reasons 

 sales of flour by Cuban retailers are generally confined to small quantities used for 

 miscellaneous cooking. This flour is usually of a low grade. 



Kinds of Flour Demanded 



The class of flour to which Cuba is most accustomed is that made from spring 

 wheat. A strong flour for loaf bread is generally required. Bakers mix their flours to 

 secure the requisite combination of strength and rising qualities. A common mixture 

 consists of two parts of hard-wheat flour and one part of soft. The proportion of soft- 

 wheat flour used in Cuba has been decreasing for several years. In the interior a larger 

 proportion of soft-w^heat flour is used than in Habana. In Matanzas and Cardenas a 

 half-and-half mixture is used. Importers estimate that at present 70 per cent of the 

 flour used in Cuba is manufactured from hard wheat and 30 per cent from soft wheat. 

 One large importing company in Habana maintains its own laboratory for the analysis 

 of flour. However, the purchase of flour on an analysis basis is not the customary 

 practice in Cuba. 



Two kinds of bread are commonly sold in Cuba — that made with lard and that made 

 without lard. Several Cuban companies manufacture various kinds of biscuits and 

 crackers. A hard, dry biscuit made from hard-wheat flour or a blend is very popular. 

 Most of the common grades of crackers made in the United States are also made in 

 Cuba. Soft-W'heat flour is used largely in their manufacture. The larger portion of 

 Cuban pastry is made with soft-wheat flour. 



Organization of the Market 



American mills selling flour in Cuba operate in most cases through commission 

 agents located in Habana and other ports of the island. One important company main- 

 tains a branch office in Habana. The commission agents sell to the large importing 

 jobbers. In a few cases sales are made direct to bakers, but this practice is not ap- 

 proved by the trade in general. 



Practically all sales of flour to Cuban importers are made on a c. i. f. basis. 

 Various degrees of credit are allowed. Some of the strong importers take advantage 

 of the price discounts available by paying cash against documents in Xejv York. 

 Various mills allow 30, 60, and 90 days, but the most common practice among con- 

 servative mills is to sell on the basis of drafts payable 30 days after the arrival of the 

 flour. At the present time it is reported that there is a tendency toward forcing the 

 market in Cuba by laxness in credit terms. Some flour has been sold on a consignment 

 basis, but this practice has proved to be a very dangerous one and should be strictly 

 avoided. 



The sacks of flour imported into Cuba are mostly of 200 pounds (United States) net, 

 although sacks of 200 Spanish pounds, or approximately 203 United States pounds, are 

 imported to some extent. Some sacks of 196 pounds enter the market. Xo special pack- 

 ing is used differing from that employed in the United States, except that the sacks are 

 of stronger material. The cotton bag known as '"osnaburg" is in common use. In the 

 retail flour trade small sacks of 1 to 50 pounds are sold to a limited degree. The amount 

 of flour sold in small sacks in Cuba is relatively very small. — Assistant Trade Commis- 

 sioner C. A. Livengood, Habana. 



