Don José Gener y Batet was a Spanish Catalan who emigrated to Cuba at the age of thirteen in 1831. He worked in his uncle's plantation in Vuelta Abajo. Around 1850, he went to Havana to create a factory and his own brand of cigar: La Escepcion.

It was a direct success and in the 1860s, José Gener used the acquired capital to buy the farm " Hoyo de Monterrey " located in the heart of the famous Vuelta Abajo in San Juan y Martinez. In Spanish, "Hoyo" means hole and " Hoyo de Monterrey " means the hole of Monterrey. A particularly appropriate term for this Vega that stretches down the banks of the river that flows through San Juan y Martinez. This land was known for producing the best Cuban tobacco at that time.

The cigar brand Hoyo de Monterrey de José Gener was registered in 1865, at the address of his factory at 7, Alfonso Street, Havana. The cigars, composed with sweet and aromatic mixtures, quickly gained an international success and were very popular in England.

Don José Gener y Batet returned to Spain in 1895 and died there in 1900. His daughter, Lutgarda Gener, took over the prosperous family business. At that time, the factory Hoyo de Monterrey was the biggest in Cuba, employing not less than 350 workers.

After the death of José Gener, the demand for cigars decreased. The family concentrated more on the plantations of canes than the fields of tobacco. In 1931, the brand Hoyo de Monterrey, with La Escepcion, were sold to the company Fernandez Palicio y Ca. This company was founded by Ramon Fernandez and Fernando Palicio, and already owned two brands, and not the least: Punch and Belinda.

Ramon Fernandez died in 1948, Fernando Palicio took over the business and created the company Fernandez, Palicio and Cia S.A. where he was the sole owner. At the time of the revolution, it was still located at 51 Maximo Gomez Street, with its many brands, including Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, La Escepcion, Belinda and many others; it accounted for 13% of Cuban cigar exports in 1958.

After the revolution, the production of Hoyo de Monterrey cigars was uninterrupted, as well as for Punch and La Escepcion. They remain as popular as ever among aficionados.