VCF Magazine

Let’s fly overseas. We invested in a brand new, state-of-the-art factory just next to our current one in Sri Lanka. This expansion included the construction of the biggest and most modern cold room in Sri Lanka as well as an additional production hall. By doing so we have doubled our production capacity whilst simultaneously raising the bar in terms of energy efficiency in the export zone where we are located. 

Needless to say this is drawing a lot of attention from surrounding companies and their employees. To our pleasant surprise, the newly appointed State Minister of Trade Sujeewa Senasinghe and the Chairman of the Board of Investment (Sri Lanka’s biggest trade promotion organisation) Upul Jayasuriya expressed their interest in Cortès. 

In early September we were proud to learn that our factory had been selected for their first official visit to an export zone in the country. Obviously, we were thrilled to walk them through our story, showing our complete production. They were impressed, and to top it off, we provided them with some beautiful cigars to further enjoy the experience at home. 

A great moment for everyone at Cortès and an acknowledgment for our relentless focus on quality!

Cortès houses some top-notch talent. Our tobacco specialists only select the finest leaves for the J. Cortès blue series. 

All the way from Sumatra to Bremen.

Thanks to its volcanic soil and cloudy weather, Sumatran tobacco is one of a kind. Back in the days when Indonesia was still a Dutch colony, wholesalers purchased the famous leaves in Amsterdam. 

After Indonesia’s independence, the old German town of Bremen took on the honour of selling Indonesia’s best. With more than 100 buyers, a special bidding system was set up. All the buyers attempted to buy the best tobacco, placing their bids in a closed envelope. Seeds of this tobacco have been planted in many other countries, but the exact flavour of Sumatra could never quite be obtained. 

Nowadays the bidding envelopes are history. We’re very proud that our tobacco masters Henry Masquelin and Walburg Vandenbroucke still select the finest Sumatran tobacco leaves for the J. Cortès blue series with the highest precision (and perhaps their bargaining skills too.)

Cigars are exceptional products. That’s why we don’t want them all to end up looking (and tasting) the same. 
Join this unique petition to preserve a unique cultural heritage.

As you might know, the European union has approved a new Tobacco Product Directive, the so-called TPD2, which wants to make all tobacco products look the same. Fortunately a few leading cigar countries recognised the exceptional character of cigars and implemented article 11, which means there will only be a minor impact on our products’ presentation.

Cigars truly are one-of-a-kind: unique blends, thousands of different products, small production batches, gourmet limited editions... That’s why we cherish them so much; they belong to our cultural heritage. The new legal environment within the European region can easily destroy the unique diversity that has been crafted over the last hundreds of years. Let’s hope that other EU member states take the same decision as Spain, Italy and Portugal and allow us to keep enjoying great cigars.

Indeed, the tobacco world is strong and new initiatives have arisen. The website www.savecigars.org was founded by cigar aficionados, fully explaining the TPD2. Sign the petition and make sure to protect your beloved smokes. 

Use the hashtag #savecigars in your online communication to support cigars and cigar-lovers worldwide.