Villiger Sohne AG is another company that must use machines to produce some of its smaller cigars. Villiger has been using machines for some of its cigar production since 1910. Some of its most popular machine-made brands include Braniff, Villiger Premium No. 3, Villiger Premium No. 7, Villiger Color Lines and Villiger Rillos. The most notable of Villiger’s machine-made portfolio is Villiger Export, a brand that the company reports has captured an impressive global market share since its release in 1935 and is beginning to catch on in the U.S. market now due to its high-quality tobacco, classic packaging and overall smoking experience.
Royal Agio Cigars has a different history with machine-made cigars, as the company was originally founded rolling handmade premium small cigars in 1904. The company’s premium cigarillo brands, Panter (known as “Panther” in the U.S.) and Mehari’s, were handmade up until the 1970s, when high-end machinery became available. These machines allowed the company to successfully produce these smaller format premium cigars in a way that enhanced the consumer experience. The use of machines brought additional consistency to the construction of these smaller cigar products and ensured consumers who smoked these smaller cigars had the same premium experience as those who smoked their regular-sized handmade counterparts.
“Our premium cigarillo brands, like Panter, Mehari’s and Panther, have found success globally,” explains Jaime Florez-Estrada, executive vice president of marketing at Royal Agio Cigars U.S.A. “No matter what country you’re talking about, there are cigar smokers looking for a smaller, more convenient format and who at the same time don’t want to compromise quality and the premium cigar experience. It’s our job to make sure those cigar smokers are aware that these products indeed exist to help make their cigar smoking occasion more enjoyable.”
This story first appeared in the November/December 2019 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
– Story by Antoine Reid, senior editor and digital content director for Tobacco Business Magazine.
