Who we are |
Trajectory

Our beginnings

The Zamorano family’s entrepreneurial legacy dates back to 1902, when Luis Zamorano Benítez founded one of the Canary Islands’ first tobacco factories. From that pivotal moment, the Group’s journey has been shaped by a series of landmark achievements that have established Grupo CIO as one of the region’s leading business groups.

This entrepreneurial spirit was carried forward by Luis Zamorano Tais, who brought together many of Tenerife’s independent tobacco manufacturers to establish Centro Industrial de Tabaqueros Asociados (CITA) in 1949. The company went on to achieve remarkable success with brands including Rex, Record, XXX and, most notably, Coronas.

CITA’s international growth led to the creation of subsidiaries in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Germany, France and Portugal, while its main commercial headquarters were based in Madrid.

Diversification

Grupo CIO is a family-owned business from the Canary Islands with a heritage spanning more than 120 years. Its story began in 1902, when Luis Zamorano Benítez founded one of the Canary Islands’ first tobacco factories. Over the decades, the company established itself as one of the region’s leading industrial businesses.

In 1949, his descendant, Luis Zamorano Tais, founded CITA, a tobacco company that achieved international recognition through iconic brands such as Coronas. Driven by a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit, he also played a key role in establishing companies that became part of the Canary Islands’ economic history, including Montesano, 7 Mares and Tenerife’s first supermarket.

The Group’s commitment to diversification became increasingly evident in the years that followed. In 1975, it entered the bottled water industry with Aguas de Vilaflor and its flagship brand, Fuentealta, which went on to become the market leader in the Canary Islands.

Vision

During the 1990s, the family’s entrepreneurial vision led to another landmark achievement: the opening of Hotel Bahía del Duque, the Canary Islands’ first luxury hotel and an international benchmark for Canarian hospitality. The same period also saw the creation of Record Seguridad (1992) and Record Servicios Generales (1996), further expanding the Group’s presence in the services sector.

In 2005, the sale of its stake in CITA to the multinational Gallagher marked a turning point in the company’s history. Following this milestone, the business was restructured and adopted its current identity as Grupo CIO.

Today, Grupo CIO continues to build on a legacy of more than 120 years of entrepreneurship, innovation and long-term commitment to the Canary Islands. As a family-owned group, it remains focused on creating sustainable value while contributing to the social and economic development of the region.

Expansion

Parallel to this route The Tais Hotels & Villas was born, an exclusive collection of extraordinary and independent hotels, each of them uncommon. The Tais Hotels & Villas combines the future Group projects; based on the experience of Bahía del Duque, it opens the doors to international expansion.