The spirit of '88
That’s 1888 – the year in which Villiger was established. Now, the Swiss cigar manufacturer has decided to acknowledge the historic year with the launch of a new handmade long-filler cigar, reports David Davies
Company owner Heinrich Villiger and former export director Monika Villiger were among the many prestigious guests at Villiger’s 120th anniversary celebrations, held at Lenzburg Castle recently.
There was, of course, plenty to celebrate: 120 years of ever-increasing success in both domestic and travel-retail, with a presence in all key markets – and many emerging ones, too. Founded in 1888 by Jean Villiger – Heinrich’s grandfather – Villiger has grown steadily to the extent that it is now one of the world’s top ten cigar manufacturers.
The supplier has also evolved one of the most comprehensive and distinctive offers in the cigar category, possessing a product range that covers all bases – from compact machine-made cigarillos suitable for quick consumption, to full-size cigars and hand-rolled cigars intended for a more leisurely smoking experience.
However, Villiger was not only looking back at the Lenzburg Castle event – it was also looking forward to the future, and in particular the introduction of its first handmade long-filler cigar. Named in honour of the company’s founding year, Villiger 1888 is available in three versions: Short Robusto (102mm long; ring size 50/19.8mm), Robusto (124mm long; ring size 50/19.8mm) and Corona (150mm long; ring size 43/17.1mm) offered in wooden boxes of 25 or in consumer-friendly packs of three tubos each. In addition, a special selection pack contains one each of the three variants.
Villiger 1888 was developed by Heinrich Villiger in conjunction with Matias Maragoto at the Abam cigar factory in Santo Domingo and Adalberto Ruiz Calderón from ASP Enterprises. The blend also features additional tobaccos from Latin America and the Caribbean to create a smooth but flavoursome smoke.
Explaining the background to the new launch, Chris Pfister – Villiger’s director export sales worldwide – tells Frontier: “The prime reason was Villiger’s 120th anniversary, for which Mr. Heinrich Villiger had the wish to create his own handmade cigar. In commemorating a great history of more than a century of cigar-making, Mr Villiger – who has enormous knowledge of cigars – has chosen the best tobaccos from the world and created a cigar according to his own personal taste and pleasure. The result is an extraordinary cigar with fantastic flavours, and one that provides a smooth but full-flavour smoking experience.”
The new product was launched into domestic retail in Germany and Switzerland three months ago, with sales said to have “outperformed the highest expectations”. Accordingly, expectations are very high for Villiger 1888’s forthcoming introduction into global travel-retail.
“Both traders and consumers are thrilled about the quality of this cigar,” says Pfister. “Our production facility in the Dominican Republic is fully booked for months to come, and special measures have to be taken to ensure a timely introduction for the travel-retail market in the first quarter of 2009.”
As to whether more handmade cigar products might follow the introduction of Villiger 1888, Pfister says there are no plans at present. “For the time being, the three sizes – Corona, Robusto and Short Robusto – will be sufficient, and correspond to the worldwide trend for shorter versions of good handmade cigars.”
Premium Slims and Sweets
Villiger’s focus in recent times hasn’t just been on the larger cigar sizes, however. Introduced at the 2006 IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas, Villiger Premium Slims offer a compact, flavoured cigar for smokers who prefer strong flavours.
The use of pipe cigar filler ensures a rich flavour with the Premium Slims, whose taste is enhanced by the incorporation of Vanilla, Cherry or Honey flavours. A fine Sumatra wrapper completes the sticks, which are available in packs of five, each individually wrapped and protected in cellophane.
Subsequent to this, Villiger officially added Sweets cigarillos to the Premium range at the 2007 instalment of the TFWA World Exhibition. As with the Premium Slims, listings at leading global travel-retail stores were not slow in arriving, and Villiger quickly reported the reaction to Premium Sweets to be “extremely positive”.
With the Villiger product range now joined by the aforementioned Villiger 1888, the overriding impression is of a supplier forever seeking to ‘push the envelope’ as regards the development of new offers. In a category where innovation has long been central to longevity, the Swiss cigar maker continues to position itself for sustained success.
Summing up the company’s approach to travel-retail, Pfister highlights the importance of retailer relationships and product training in ensuring that Villiger retains a dynamic status in the highly competitive cigar market. “It is vital to remain in constant contact with operators and to inform them of the curren trends,” observes Pfister.
“Product training, too, is going to be crucial for further sustainable growth of the category. We also hope that operators realise the importance of the cigar category and are ready to allocate more space for cigars.”
At 120 years of age, Villiger may well be in the best form of its long and distinguished life. With Villiger 1888 set to reach travel-retail over the next few months on the back of strong initial reactions in the domestic market, the Swiss supplier’s future looks very bright indeed.
FACT FILE
Villiger
Founded: Pfeffikon, near Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1888
Current number of employees: circa 850
Global position: one of the world’s top ten cigar manufacturers
Sales statistic: more than 700 million cigars, worth a total of 120 million euros, during 2007
Key products include: Villiger Premium No 1 to No 10 in hygrofoil fresh packs; Villiger Premium Vanilla, Sweets, Mocca, Honey; Villiger Premium Tubos; Villiger Slims; Villiger Export Square; Villiger Rillos; Villiger Kiel; Villiger Tabatip; Villiger Culebras; Backgammon
Latest product launch: Villiger 1888, designed to mark the company’s 120th anniversary
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
