Author: Taco Tuinstra

  • Dominican Republic to Build Tobacco School

    Dominican Republic to Build Tobacco School

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The National Institute for Technical and Professional Training of the Dominican Republic will establish a school to meet the growing demand for skilled labor in the tobacco sector.

    Set up in collaboration with the Association of Cigar Producers of the Dominican Republic (ProCigar), the facility will be located in Tamboril, Santiago, a key area for tobacco production. The facility aims to provide formal training and certification for workers, many of whom have previously gained skills through informal means.

    According to ProCigar President Litto Gómez, training is key in maintaining the international competitiveness and quality of Dominican tobacco products. Investing in skilled labor, he noted, not only supports the industry’s efficiency but also contributes to the economic development of local communities.

    The tobacco industry in Santiago employs more than 110,000 people and generated over $400 million in the first four months of the year, according to the Ministry of Industry.

  • Tobacco Reporter Recognized

    Tobacco Reporter Recognized

    Tobacco Reporter was recognized for editorial excellence in the Trade, Association, and Business Publications International’s most recent Tabbie competition.

    The magazine received a bronze award in the Editor’s Column category for its “Developing Supplemental Value Chains” editor’s memo and an honorable mention in the Feature Article category for its “Broadening the Base” piece. Both articles deal with Malawi’s attempts to diversify its economy beyond tobacco.

    Created two decades ago, the annual Tabbie Awards program celebrates journalists worldwide who cover their industries with passion, skill and creativity. The Tabbie Awards stands out from other similar programs in its distinctive global reach, with local, regional, national and international English-language publications in all countries encouraged to participate.

    It’s not the first time that Tobacco Reporter’s work has been recognized in the Tabbie competition. Previous awards include gold, silver and bronze trophies for feature writing, along with honorable mentions in various categories.

  • ITGA to Hold AGM in North Carolina

    ITGA to Hold AGM in North Carolina

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) will hold is 2024 annual general meeting (AGM) in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, Oct.15-18. The event, which coincides with the organization’s 40th anniversary, is hosted by the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina and brings together growers’ representatives and tobacco sector stakeholders from around the world.

    Delegates to the meeting will visit an auction center, observe receiving station delivery, tour a processing plant, visit university and research farms and the North Carolina State Fair.

    This year, ITGA’s focus is on farm productivity and tobacco yields. An extensive research effort revealed crucial variations between markets as well as between small scale and commercial growers. This will be the focus of the open day conference.

    For more information, visit www.itgaevents.com.

     

  • Rebuilding the Value Chain

    Rebuilding the Value Chain

    Photos: Taco Tuinstra

    Tabaterra wants to lift Azerbaijani tobacco to global quality standards.

    In addition to investing in cigarette production, Tabaterra has been working to revive Azerbaijani tobacco cultivation. During Soviet times, the republic was a prominent leaf producer, but that activity fell by the wayside as the USSR disintegrated and its value chains perished. To diversify its economy beyond oil and gas, Azerbaijan has been reviving tobacco production, boosting rural employment and developing new sources of export revenue.

    Instead of growing the local semi-oriental varieties previously cultivated for the Soviet market, the new efforts focus on flue-cured Virginia (FCV), which enjoys demand worldwide. In 2021, Tabaterra Leaf started operations with four receiving and curing stations, 10 greenhouses and a green-leaf threshing (GLT) factory along with a laboratory for physical tests.

    Since then, it has been working to increase yields and quality along with farmer incomes. “Our goal is to bring Azerbaijani leaf up to international standards,” says Ibrahim Mammadov, Tabaterra Leaf’s head of finance. “We want to build a brand for the country.”

    While acknowledging that Azerbaijan is not in the same league as flavor tobacco powerhouses like Zimbabwe and Brazil, Mammadov is confident of the nation’s long-term potential in the global filler market. By providing inputs tailored to the local soils and by promoting proper agricultural practices, Tabaterra has been gradually increasing nicotine and sugar levels.

    It has also improved farmer viability. When the company entered the market, tobacco growers were making azn500 ($294.13) per hectare on average, according to Tabaterra Director Elman Javanshir. This year, the per-hectare profits of its contracted farmers, including government subsidies, are expected to reach azn2,000. “So we have quadrupled their profitability in three years,” says Javanshir. The company is also providing its contracted growers with pesticides and personal protective equipment free of charge.

    Such improvements will help Tabaterra not only to retain its farmer base, but they also put farmers in a better position to attract and retain labor. Azerbaijan’s northwestern region is famous for its hazelnuts, which are harvested at the same time as tobacco, thus creating fierce competition for farmhands in August and September.

    Because the GLT was in good condition at the time of its acquisition, Tabaterra only needed to perform a few upgrades. It also constructed a chemical laboratory to help it keep track of its progress in improving Azerbaijani tobacco to the desired quality standards.

    This year, Tabaterra is cultivating tobacco on 700 hectares, mainly in northwest Azerbaijan. But the company also plans to revive tobacco production in the Karabakh region. According to Javanshir, there are natural restraints on the growth of tobacco in the northwest of Azerbaijan, including temperatures and dropping water levels—an important consideration given that tobacco is a thirsty crop.

    In the new areas, by contrast, there is plenty of water. “The rivers there don’t dry up during the summertime like they do in the northwest,” says Javanshir. “Considering the abundance of water resources there, we think we can grow better quality tobacco there—not only Virginia but also burley and some of the other varieties.” The company aims to grow up to 800 hectares in the new areas.

    Along with Ethiopia and Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan is one of a handful of countries where tobacco growers sell their leaf “wet,” i.e., uncured. With average property sizes of between 7 hectares and 8 hectares, Azerbaijani tobacco farms are relatively large, but few growers own curing barns. To boost quality and minimize losses, Tabaterra is encouraging farmers to apply good agricultural practices (GAP). “If they follow GAP, the product will come out of the barn properly, without the brown tobacco that nobody wants,” says Mammadov. Getting long-time growers to change their work habits can be challenging, however. Because farmers’ responsibility ends with the harvest, they tend to be more interested in volume than quality. For example, they may plant the tobacco too densely or skip steps such as topping or sucker control, which they view as costs rather than investments.

    “By reducing the in-row spaces, farmers think they can plant more tobacco and boost their yields, but if you increase the row space, it will make your leaves bigger, and you will get the same weight—plus higher nicotine levels,” says Mammadov. And while skipping topping and sucker control may seem like a labor-saving strategy, it causes the plant to direct its energy toward producing organic material rather than flavor. “You get more leaf but lower quality,” says Mammadov.

    Aware that showing is often more effective than telling, Tabaterra has established demonstration plots throughout its sourcing areas where the tobacco growers can see for themselves what happens with best practices. In addition, the company is providing financial incentives. If the grower plants with proper spacing, applies the appropriate amounts and formulations of fertilizer, and carries out the required topping and sucker control, he will receive a bonus on top of the agreed price.

    Azerbaijan’s leaf tobacco business has come a long way in a short time. Already, it has managed to sell some of its leaf on the international market through a leading tobacco merchant. At the same time, Tabaterra knows there’s still a ways to go. With each growing season, however, the company’s contracted farmers gain skills and experience, and Mammadov is confident that in time, more global customers will find their way to Azerbaijan. “We are now in the third year of our project,” he says. “We hope this will be our best year yet.”

    Taco Tuinstra is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial director.Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, he coordinates the work of staff writers and contributors.On his watch, Tobacco Reporter has won several awards for editorial excellence.Since joining the magazine in 1997, Taco has visited more than 75 countries to meet industry representatives in their markets and to report tobacco news firsthand.
  • Thank You!

    Thank You!

    The GTNF, scheduled Sept. 24–26 in Athens, is made possible by the generous support of these sponsors.

    TR Staff Report

    Accorto Regulatory Solutions is a boutique regulatory firm committed to providing unparalleled regulatory and compliance solutions for its global clientele across a range of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-regulated sectors. It specializes in helping small-sized to mid-sized domestic and international companies navigate the regulatory landscape to bring their regulated product concepts to market and ensure ongoing compliance following market authorization.

    Its team has extensive experience in the tobacco harm reduction industry, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality, data-driven FDA regulatory submissions for its clients’ nicotine-containing products. Its bespoke multi-phase submission approach reduces overall project time and cost while ensuring compliance with the FDA’s most current thinking. It strives to be a trusted partner in navigating and overcoming regulatory challenges, driving success for its clients in a complex market.

    Alliance One International (AOI) is a leading independent leaf tobacco supplier. Working with tobacco farmers in 20 countries, AOI is recognized for producing sustainable and traceable leaf tobacco. The company purchases tobacco on five continents and ships to customers in 90-plus countries.

    Through direct contracts, AOI is able to provide agronomic expertise and technical guidance to help growers improve the quality and yield of their crops. The company is dedicated to supporting efforts to address human rights concerns in the tobacco supply chain by using on-farm good agricultural practices assessments to evaluate contracted farmers’ compliance with labor practices. Additionally, the company establishes contract terms and conditions with tobacco farmers related to issues such as forced and child labor, and it conducts social compliance due diligence throughout its tobacco-growing regions.

    AOI’s Sentri track-and-trace platform provides transparency into the life cycle of agricultural products by monitoring information and obtaining data related to the growth, cultivation, harvest, processing, formulation, testing and release of individual batches of products. By obtaining data on products at each stage of the supply chain, Sentri permits proactive decision-making for both the company and its customers.

    AOI believes that everything it does is to transform people’s lives in order to grow a better world. The company’s global ESG strategy was built off its strong sustainability legacy and achievements over the years. Given its diverse global footprint, AOI is well positioned to have a wide-reaching impact on systemic issues. AOI’s sustainability strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the company is committed to doing its part to help make those goals a reality.

    AlphaScale Technologies develops industrial-grade and high-reliability analog/mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) and systems for industrial and consumer markets. The company’s product portfolio includes battery and power management ICs, sensors, LED display drivers, analog-to-digital converters, microprocessors and micro-controller ICs. The company’s solutions focus on addressing the performance, reliability, power and cost challenges. The company’s mission is to be an indispensable provider of highly scalable and highly reliable building blocks for the world’s most demanding electronic manufacturers.

    AlphaScale was founded by a team of seasoned IC designers from Silicon Valley with a proven track record of developing leading-edge analog and mixed-signal ICs and systems. The company has R&D and operation facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area and China.

    Applied Research and Analysis Co. (ARAC) is a social and behavioral sciences research firm that designs, executes and leads scientifically rigorous, customizable Module 6 studies to support manufacturers, regulatory agencies and industry consulting firms.

    ARAC is a fully staffed contract research organization with in-house psychologists, behavioral scientists, statisticians and survey methodologists offering tailored research solutions with unparalleled integrity and an exceptional client experience. In-depth knowledge of U.S. consumer behavior, leveraging in-house internal expertise to deliver quicker, streamlined results to client partners.

    Based in the U.S., ARAC focuses on achieving global market success by combining regulatory expertise, consumer understanding and cultural competency expertise applied to international markets. Its triangular approach focuses on government regulations, the consumer and its clients’ business objectives. This approach has proven successful across a variety of studies, including label development and comprehension, human factors/usability, clinical behavioral studies, specifically randomized experimental trials, TPPI and postmarket surveillance systems.

    The BAT Group is a leading multi-category consumer goods business that provides tobacco and nicotine products to millions of consumers around the world.

    BAT’s purpose is to create “A Better Tomorrow” by building a smokeless world. A smokeless world built on smokeless products, where, ultimately, cigarettes have become a thing of the past.

    In order to deliver this, BAT is transforming into a smokeless business, with a target for 50 percent of its revenue to come from smokeless products by 2035.

    BAT’s portfolio of smokeless tobacco and nicotine products includes vapor products, heated products and modern oral products, which are collectively termed the “new categories,” as well as traditional oral products.

    The business continues to be clear that combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks, and the only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit. To help build a smokeless world, BAT encourages those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically substantiated smokeless alternatives.

    BMJ is the world’s No. 1 partner in specialty paper and packaging by responsibly providing high-value products to its customers. With sustainability goals in mind, the company exceeds the industry’s standard through intimate knowledge of customers’ articulated expectations, service excellence, high productivity, high quality and rapid innovation. It is the partner of choice of many leading players in the industry.

    Boegli-Gravures designs, develops and manufactures state-of-the-art embossing tools and solutions for an exacting worldwide clientele. The company’s combination of artistic vision and engineering excellence has brought it recognition as a world leader in high-precision embossing and as an original equipment manufacturer supplier. The secret of Boegli-Gravures’ success lies in the company’s vision and passion for innovation.

    FEELM, an atomization technology brand affiliated to Smoore, is a high-quality closed system and disposable solution provider that leverages the world’s leading ceramic coil heating technology, faithful flavor reproduction technology and innovative electronic technology. With the vision of “Atomization makes life better,” FEELM continues to extend the boundaries of atomization technology with

    FEELM has won numerous prestigious industry awards, including a Golden Leaf Award and Vapouround’s Award for innovation, and global design awards, such as the IF Design Award, the Red Dot Award and the German National Design Award. Products equipped with FEELM’s ceramic coil, with a total production volume of 3.5 billion, have been sold in more than 50 countries and are widely praised.

    Greentank is a business-to-business technology company that specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of precision-made inhalation devices and atomization technology. Greentank’s latest innovation in atomization is called Quantum Vape, which replaces cotton wick and ceramic heating elements with a state-of-the-art patented Heating Chip (see “Heated Breakthrough,” Tobacco Reporter, June 2024).

    Greentank believes the Heating Chip outperforms all other leading atomization products. For example, it performs better on key safety metrics, such as harmful and potentially harmful constituents and heavy metal testing, than other leading technologies in the market. It also produces superior flavor and a consistent consumer experience.

    The company has won multiple industry accolades and honors, including a Red Dot Design Award and Independent’s Vape Tank and Single-Use Vaporizer of the Year distinctions.

    Founded in 2009, Hangsen International Group is a world-leading supplier of e-liquid solutions integrating R&D, manufacturing, sales and services. Since its establishment, Hangsen has been committed to producing safe and reliable e-liquid products and solutions for the global e-cigarette industry.

    Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Hangsen has offices and R&D centers in many places around the world. Its business covers more than 80 countries and regions, and it has established a complete global supply chain system. Hangsen also has a production base in Poland.

    The domestic manufacturing center has 6,000 square meters of 100,000-class dust-free workshops, covering a total area of more than 30,000 square meters. It has passed ISO9001, GMP, HACCP, CNAS and other international authoritative certifications. Hangsen can provide a complete supply chain solution for the e-cigarette industry, and the service scope includes design, research and development, production, compliance testing, after-sales and other links.

    As the pioneer of e-cigarette technology, Hangsen has obtained more than 300 industrial technology patents and intellectual property rights.

     The Haypp Group is focused on the global transition from smoking to reduced-risk nicotine product alternatives, especially nicotine pouches. Originating in Scandinavia, the group has extensive experience in the pioneering smoke-free markets of Sweden and Norway and is a leader in the e-commerce sector. The Haypp Group is present in seven countries, where it served more than 1 million active consumers with eleven e-commerce brands in the 12 months to June 2024.

    Imperial Brands is a global consumer organization operating in more than 100 markets and the world’s fourth-largest international tobacco and nicotine company. Its brands include JPS, Gauloises and Davidoff cigarettes, Blu vapes, the Pulze and iD heated-tobacco systems, and Zone oral nicotine pouches. In the U.S., the company’s ITG Brands subsidiary offers a broad portfolio of cigarette and mass-market cigar brands, including Winston and Backwoods.

    Driven by insights and data, Imperial Brands seeks to meet the expectations of adult smokers by putting the consumer at the center of everything it does. The business is also refining its ways of working and its culture to foster a strong challenger mindset among its 25,000 employees worldwide.

    Japan Tobacco International (JTI) was formed in 1999 when its parent company, JT Group, acquired the non-U.S. operations of RJR Nabisco. Since then, the company has achieved over two decades of growth. As a leading international tobacco company, it sells its products in more than 130 markets and is the global owner of both Winston and Camel, the second-largest and third-largest cigarette brands in the world, respectively. JTI’s other global brands include Mevius and LD. JTI is also a major player in the reduced-risk products category with its heated-tobacco brand Ploom, its e-cigarette brand Logic and its Nordic Spirit nicotine pouches.

    Creating fulfilling moments. Creating a better future. This is JTI’s purpose; what inspires every single one of its employees. JTI is committed to serving the needs and demands of its adult consumers, supporting the communities it operates in and making its business not only the fastest growing of its kind but also the most innovative and sustainably run.

    Today, JTI has more than 46,000 employees driving its success all over the world. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it was awarded Global Top Employer for the 10th consecutive year in 2024.

    Juul Labs is on a mission to transition the world’s billion adult smokers away from combustible cigarettes, eliminate their use and combat underage usage of its products. The company believes that vapor products can offer adult smokers an alternative to combustible cigarettes and, in so doing, reduce the harm associated with tobacco.

    Körber is an international technology group with more than 12,000 employees at over 100 locations worldwide. In its Digital, Pharma, Supply Chain and Technologies business areas, the Körber Group offers products, solutions and services that inspire. The Körber business area Technologies develops customized solutions in the areas of machinery, equipment, software, measuring instruments, flavors and services with a focus on the tobacco, food and beverage industries. Beyond this, its range of offerings includes innovative concepts for battery cell production. With its 25 global production, sales and service locations, the company sees itself as a strategic partner to its customers. Always keeping their goals in mind, the company delivers and integrates outperforming technologies with passion, precision and performance to help them reach their full potential.

    As part of Certified Group, Labstat is committed to delivering high-quality technical solutions that its customers can feel confident in—on time, every time—“so the world can trust in what it consumes.” As one of the world’s largest independent testing laboratories, Labstat specializes in analytical chemistry, in vitro toxicology, microbiology, method development and customized technical services for global clients in the tobacco, nicotine, cannabis, hemp and natural health product categories.

    Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BAT Group and the U.S. parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., American Snuff Co., R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co., and Modoral Brands. RAI’s vision is to build “A Better Tomorrow” by reducing the health impact of its business through offering a greater choice of innovative products for adult tobacco consumers.

    Founded in 2009, Smoore is a global leader in atomization technology solutions, covering reduced-risk products, medicinal, special-purpose vaping devices and beauty atomization technologies.

    Continually investing in R&D and leading in manufacturing capacity, Smoore has nine technology research centers worldwide, and its products are available in more than 100 countries and regions.

    With a focus on interdisciplinary atomization research and a diverse product portfolio, Smoore is committed to becoming an advanced platform with the aspiration to make life better.

    SWM International is a leading global provider of highly engineered fine papers, with a deep expertise in natural fiber-based solutions. The company has historically provided solutions for conventional cigarettes, rolling papers, tubes, machine-made cigars and cigarillos as a partner of the tobacco industry.

    Recently, significant investments have been made in next-generation product categories, such as heated-tobacco products, modern oral and recreational cannabis applications. SWM’s unmatched product and capability portfolio and expert service offerings cater to both the combustible and the smokeless markets.

    Driven by innovation, SWM focuses on accelerating the transition toward safer and more sustainable solutions across the industry.

    Global brands across industries rely on Systech to help them achieve compliance, combat counterfeiting and detect diversion. Systech partners with electronic nicotine-delivery system companies to prevent youth usage with age-gating and root out illicit products.

    Systech provides digital traceability and authentication solutions that deliver essential product data, ensure digital connectivity and enable real-time insights across supply chains. With decades of experience in highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, Systech delivers solutions that customers trust to bring billions of critical products to the market safely.

    Tamarind Intelligence provides essential guidance and data-based strategic insights to professionals in fast-moving sectors focusing on consumer-facing products. The areas its selects to cover are in opaque regulatory environments and difficult policy areas where businesses need to be on top of industry developments to make informed decisions and optimize their strategy.

    Operating since 2014, the company provides the most accurate information available through consolidated, consistent methodology and research. Its team of lawyers, economists and journalists has long-term expertise in these markets, enabling the company to provide relevant and actionable guidance to its clients. Since the company is independent from the sectors it covers, it gives its clients access to objective analysis often not available to other industry participants.

    Founded in 1975 in Maryland, Tobacco Technology Inc. (TTI) develops customized flavors and casings for smoking products, including cigarettes, water pipe, snuff, snus, chew, kretek, RYO, pipe tobaccos, e-liquids and white nicotine pouches. TTI also offers consulting services to facilitate flavor, process and product development.

    E-LiquiTech (ELT), a TTI subsidiary established in 2016, is dedicated to the development and manufacturing of the highest quality e-liquids in addition to offering both bottle and cartomizer filling services. ELT is also the exclusive global distributor to the tobacco industry for Zanoprima, a research-driven, innovation-led life sciences company, offering SyNic high-purity synthetic (S)-nicotine in pure, bitartrate and polacrilex resin form.

    TTI Flavors is its manufacturing facility in Assisi, Italy, making TTI products for the EU and Middle Eastern markets.

    In 2022, TTI established Emerald Green Technology (EGT). With the rise of the emergent cannabinoid marketplace, EGT was born as a natural extension of TTI’s family of flavor companies. It offers a vast array of cannabinoid flavor profiles for CBD and hemp products. Infinite cannabinoid possibilities—if you can imagine it, EGT can create it!

    Universal Corp. is a global agricultural company with over 100 years of experience supplying premium ingredients and innovative solutions to meet its customers’ evolving needs and precise specifications. Through its diverse network of farmers and partners across 30 countries on five continents and its commitment to sustainability, the company is a trusted provider of high-quality, traceable products. It leverages its extensive supply chain expertise and state-of-the-art agri-product capabilities to provide a range of products and services designed to drive efficiency and deliver value to its customers.

    Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Zinwi Biotech Co. is a high-tech company that specializes in providing integrated solutions, including research, production, sales and services, to global e-cigarette manufacturers and brands. Today, Zinwi Biotech is one of the world’s leading e-liquid companies owing to its strong research and development, strict quality control procedures, stable product quality and large client network.

    With innovation at its core, Zinwi Biotech focuses heavily on product research and development. In addition, it focuses on reduced harm technology innovation and application. In 2020, Zinwi Biotech established its Atomization Technology Research Center focused on breaking technological barriers and obtaining patents.

    In terms of production and quality control, Zinwi Biotech has gained a number of certificates, including the National CNAS Laboratory Certification, ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO45001, along with the American GMP Certification. Its products are sold through the network of clients to many countries and regions in Europe, America and the Middle East and have been unanimously recognized by more than 300 brands.

     

  • Universal Announces New Leadership

    Universal Announces New Leadership

    Preston D. Wigner will succeed George C. Freeman III as chairman, president and CEO of Universal Corp. on Oct. 1, 2024.

    Wigner joined Universal in 2003. After serving as the company’s vice president, general counsel and secretary for nearly 20 years he was appointed senior vice president of Universal in December 2023. Prior to joining Universal, Wigner served as an associate with the law firms Williams Mullen and Hunton Andrews Kurth.

    According to Universal, Wigner’s appointment is the culmination of a succession planning process conducted by the board of directors and assisted over the past two years by a global leadership advisory firm. Freeman will serve as vice chair of the company through Dec. 31, 2024, and then as a senior advisor through the company’s fiscal year-end on March 31, 2025.

    “George has played a critical role in shaping Universal into the company it is today, and we are grateful for his tremendous leadership,” said Thomas H. Johnson, lead independent director of Universal’s board, in a statement.

    “During the last several years, George and the senior leadership team have consistently delivered value to Universal’s shareholders by driving strong tobacco results and establishing our Universal Ingredients business. With the positive momentum from our most recent fiscal year and the strong beginning to our current fiscal year, now is the right time to implement this leadership succession.

    “We are delighted to name Preston as our next chairman, president and CEO. Preston has been a valued member of Universal’s senior leadership team for many years. With significant tobacco industry experience, active involvement in our ingredients business strategy from its inception, and deep familiarity with our global organization, Preston has the right mix of skills and expertise to drive Universal forward.”

    I am energized by the opportunity to lead our incredible organization and advance our growth strategy by optimizing our leading tobacco business and expanding our ingredients business.

    Preston D. Wigner

    “It is a privilege to be named chairman, president and CEO of Universal at this exciting time in the company’s 100-plus year history,” said Wigner. “I am energized by the opportunity to lead our incredible organization and advance our growth strategy by optimizing our leading tobacco business and expanding our ingredients business.

    “Our future success will build on the foundational work we have accomplished under George’s leadership as well as our continued efforts to develop and pursue innovative strategies, set new standards of social and environmental performance, and motivate and inspire our global workforce. I am grateful to George for his mentorship and friendship, and I look forward to continuing to work with him through the remainder of our fiscal year.”

    “It has been an honor to lead Universal in building and growing our portfolio of agriproducts and extending our sustainable supply chain operations to now support more than 200,000 farmers over five continents,” said Freeman. “We have made incredible advances in the 27 years I have been with Universal, and I thank our talented employees around the world who work tirelessly for all our stakeholders. As I prepare to leave the board, I would also like to thank each director for their support and guidance as we have worked to position the company for success. I have worked closely with Preston, and my decision to retire is made with the utmost confidence in his ability to advance Universal’s strategy with the support of the board and management team and deliver long-term value for our shareholders. I look forward to supporting a smooth transition.”

  • Luxembourg Urged to Hike Tobacco Prices

    Luxembourg Urged to Hike Tobacco Prices

    Photo: danimages

    Public health activists are urging Luxembourg raise tobacco prices, reports the Luxembourg Times.

    Tobacco in Luxembourg is considerably cheaper than it is in all surrounding countries, which spurs cross-border sales and supplies a steady stream of revenue to the principality.

    As much as 5 percent of Luxembourg’s treasury income is generated from tobacco sales. However, much of this is purchased by people who live in France, Belgium and Germany. A pack of cigarettes is roughly twice as expensive in France as in Luxembourg.

    Finance minister Gilles Roth noted in March that the treasury actively relies on that money, making price increases unlikely.

    Health advocates are also urging Luxembourg to tighten laws on retailer tobacco displays.

    The Fondation Cancer group believes the visibility of tobacco and nicotine products not only encourages smokers to increase their consumption but also entices young people to start smoking.

    “Tobacco products and related displays are often strategically placed at the entrances of supermarkets, near sweets and magazines or directly at checkout counters,” said Fondation’s public health liaison, Lex Schaul.

    “These high-visibility areas make the products more noticeable to young people, normalizing their consumption and downplaying the associated dangers,” he said. 

  • Switzerland to Tighten Tobacco Rules

    Switzerland to Tighten Tobacco Rules

    Photo: Heorshe

    Switzerland will strengthen its restriction on tobacco advertising and nicotine product notification requirements effective Oct. 1, reports Swissinfo.

    The new rules include a nationwide ban on sales to people under the age of 18 and stricter advertising restrictions, for example on posters, on public transport, in cinemas, in publicly accessible buildings such as train stations and airports and on sports grounds.

    Existing smoking bans will now also apply to heated products and electronic cigarettes.

    Sponsorship of events with an international character or for an underage audience is no longer permitted.

    Cigarette manufacturers will also be required to print pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging

  • Lawmakers Act Against ‘Mimic Menthols’

    Lawmakers Act Against ‘Mimic Menthols’

    Photo: niroworld

    The California legislature has passed two bills to strengthen enforcement of the state’s law ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. The legislation must still be signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.

    On Jan. 1, 2023, California implemented one of the strongest laws  in the United States prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes. In response, tobacco companies have developed alternative products that provide a similar cooling sensation with a less pronounced flavor. While tobacco companies insisted the such “mimic menthols” complied with state law, critics said they were designed to circumvent California’s rules.

    One of the new bills (AB 3218) requires the state Attorney General to establish and maintain a list of unflavored tobacco products, putting the onus on the tobacco industry to demonstrate that a product does not have a flavor and can be legally sold in California. The bill also updates the definition of a prohibited “characterizing flavor” to include products that impart a menthol-like cooling sensation, thereby making it illegal to sell tobacco companies’ menthol-like cigarettes.

    The second bill (SB 1230) authorizes the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to seize illegal, flavored tobacco products discovered during routine tobacco tax inspections.

    Anti-tobacco activists advocates welcomed the move. “We applaud the California leaders who have championed these bills,” said Yolonda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in a statement. “They are ensuring that California’s law works as intended to protect kids from tobacco addiction, advance health equity and save lives.”

  • Conflict Forcing Growers From Fields

    Conflict Forcing Growers From Fields

    Photo: Hussein

    The escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is forcing tobacco farmers in Lebanon to abandon their fields, reports Xinhua.

    Hezbollah launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month.

    In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

    Amidst the turmoil, tobacco farmers in border villages were forced to abandon picking and drying their leaves.

    “This is the first time in more than 40 years that I have abandoned tobacco cultivation in my fields,” Jamal Abdallah, a 60-year-old displaced farmer, told Xinhua. Abdallah said around 85 percent of tobacco farmers in southern Lebanon have left their fields due to the ongoing conflict.

    According to the Lebanese Regie for Tobacco (RLTT), between 15,000-16,000 families cultivate tobacco in southern Lebanon, covering an area of some 90 square km.

    While the annual production usually exceeds 5 million kg, RLTT said initial estimates show this year’s production will dip to 2 million.