Zino Davidoff: A Legend Turns 100

A very special event is coming up shortly: 11 March 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Zino Davidoff - the founder of the now world-renowned brand that stands for cigar pleasure of the highest order.

Zino Davidoff

Once a refugee from the Ukraine, Zino Davidoff has grown to become a byword for pleasure and lifestyle.

He raised his conviction to a philosophy: "The Good Life" - that is the art of living and of experiencing the best moments in life with feeling and spirit. That is true lifestyle, that was - and still is - Davidoff.

Zino Davidoff, who was born on 11 March 1906 in the Ukrainian city of Kiev, was a man with a keen sense of the essential, who understood how to savour the moment. "Smoke less, but better and longer - make a cult of it, a philosophy!" was his credo. He made it his goal to enrich life through pleasure and never lost sight of this aim.

In 1930, he expanded the family tobacco shop in Geneva by adding the first special cellar for optimum storage of cigars. Then, in 1946, he created his famous "Chateau" line - cigars which he named after great Bordeaux wines.

1970 saw him join forces with his long-standing friend Dr. Ernst Schneider and the acquisition of the Geneva shop by the old-established family business Oettinger from Basel. With this began the development of Davidoff into a sought-after brand that met with success across the globe.

Then as now, Davidoff cigars have always been an art in their own right and satisfy the most discerning customers. The tobaccos used are sourced in the Dominican Republic, yet each series of Davidoff cigars has its own special composition and its own individual character.

The secret to the success of Davidoff products lies in the seamless intertwining of tradition, innovation and a sense of elegant functionality.

Where is Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken

Cigarette maker Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken has rolled its own cigarettes since 1910. The German company controls about 20% of its home market and is one of the largest tobacco companies in Europe. The company produces a variety of brands, including Davidoff, Peter Stuyvesant, R1, and West. It sells its cigarettes through affiliated operations in more than 130 countries around the globe. Health-related legal complications have as yet not touched the company, since the majority of its sales come from areas outside those litigious towards cigarette makers. The UK's Imperial Tobacco bought Reemtsma in 2002 and made it a subsidiary.

Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH
Max-Born-Strasse 4
22761 Hamburg, Germany
Tel. +49-40-8220-0
Fax +49-40-8220-1645

Davidoff Cigarettes Arrive in America

Commonwealth Brands Inc., an Imperial Tobacco Group company, is introducing Davidoff Cigarettes into the U.S. domestic market in May 2008, for the first time.
Davidoff Cigarettes is Imperial Tobacco's lead international strategic brand and a major luxury cigarette brand. It is already well established in more than 100 countries across the globe, with particular areas of strength including Greece, Taiwan and the Middle East.
"We are delighted to announce the launch of Davidoff Cigarettes into the United States domestic market," said Tim Jones, vice president of marketing for Bowling Green, Ky.-based Commonwealth Brands. "Davidoff is an exciting brand that we believe will appeal to premium-brand smokers across the country."
Davidoff was the first brand to introduce an octagon shaped pack, the company said. This design is not only aesthetically pleasing and recognizable, but helps to better protect the cigarettes inside, it added.
To lock in the flavor by retaining a higher level of moisture than most films allow, a premium film is heat-sealed around the pack using a special vacuum process. The foil inside the pack is specially coated to protect the cigarettes and the freshness of the tobacco.
Davidoff uses a blend of Burley, Virginia and Oriental tobacco. During the blending process, each type of tobacco transfers part of its aroma to the others, said the company.
The Davidoff blend used in the United States product has been carefully matched to meet the demands of U.S. smokers. Initially, four styles will be available: Davidoff Classic, Davidoff Lights, Davidoff Menthol and Davidoff Menthol Lights.
Imperial Tobacco manufactures, markets and sells a variety of cigarettes, tobaccos, rolling papers, filter tubes and cigars in more than 130 countries worldwide. Commonwealth Brands makes the USA Gold, Montclair, Malibu, Sonoma and Riviera cigarette brands. It also manufactures other tobacco products under the brand names Premier, McClintock, Bali-Shag, E-Z Wider, Joker, El Rey and Rizla.

Manufacturer Davidoff hold dismissals in Russia and eight other countries around the world

Imperial Tobacco, manufacturer of Davidoff cigarettes and West, announced the forthcoming reduction of state employees at its 2440 people, 100 of whom will be dismissed from the company's unit in Russia. It is reported AFP. Most of the layoffs affect units of the French company, where 1060 people will lose work. In addition Imperial Tobacco plans to lay off 830 people in Spain, 260 - in Britain, 250 - and 100 in Germany - in Russia. Another 140 employees will lose work in offices Imperial Tobacco in Belgium, Italy, Slovakia and Ukraine. In doing so, tobacco companies will create 200 jobs in Poland.

Dismissals will be held as part of a plan to restructure business Imperial Tobacco, which resulted in the company by 2010 could save up to 300 million euros a year, the agency Thomson Financial. After that, annual savings Imperial Tobacco will increase to 400 million euros by 2012.

Imperial Tobacco began restructuring the business after the completion of the transaction to absorb the tobacco company Altadis. As a result of the merger was formed the second largest tobacco company in Europe after Philip Morris. The cost of the transaction amounted to 12.8 billion euros. Imperial Tobacco production capacity increased to 312 billion cigarettes a year.

Imperial Tobacco is the fourth-largest tobacco company in the world. It was founded in 1901 in Britain. Net profit company in 2007 amounted to 1.8 billion dollars.