This article analyzes the structure of Spanish trade with Cuba during the period leading up to and immediately after Cuban independence in 1898. Although in overall terms, the loss of the colony meant the disappearance of major bilateral trade links, an analysis of certain groups shows that Spanish exports to Cuba of some of the latter were maintained or actually increased. The hypothesis for explaining this anomalous behavior is based on the presence of product differentiation strategies whose success is linked to the preference for Spanish goods of a certain sector of Cuban demand.