‘La Sueca’: nationality as a factor in Svenska Tändsticks AB operations in Cuba 1949–1962

When Svenska Tändsticks AB established a match stick company and factory, La Consolidada Industrial in Havana, Cuba, during the early 1950s, it was met by heavy resistance and political problems from trade unions and other factory owners. Central to this resistance was the view of Svenska Tändsticks as foreign capitalists seeking to undermine Cuban industry. In response, or in anticipation of this perceived risk, La Consolidada Industrial attempted to display itself as fully Cuban, with only incidental ties to Sweden, as well as sought political allegiance with the government, including the Batista regime. Representations of nationality thus became a central factor for La Consolidada Industrial's business strategy and would remain important up until its eventual nationalization by the Castro regime.