I wonder if this will impact availability of Penzance in the US since Germain has always had limited production capability. Have they expanded their production capacity? Why not simply make more Penzance since it is so scarce?
Question 1: No one knows for sure, at least that is talking, but very likely IMO. There are rumors that just won’t go away of tie ins with Planta for partially processed leaf, the existence of a second facility in Jersey in addition to the picturesque location they show the tourists, etc. There are facts such as increased presence of their own label blends for new distribution channels in Asia. Thus my feeling that production has increased over the last few years, but who really knows?
Question 2: Penzance is, with the other Esoterica tobaccos, a white label product made exclusively for someone else to sell. Think generic versus name brand detergent. The margins they make on Esoterica are less than what they make on tobacco sold under their own label. They produce Esoterica under a contract with Arango (now) and I would think they make no more than the contract calls for. The quantity and other aspects of the contract have likely been negotiated and renegotiated many times over the years, likely to both parties satisfaction by now, but the incentives and rewards for Germain to make more Esoterica are not the same as they would be for making more of their Plumcake. And Arango might very well have reasons of their own to only ask for for a quantity that is in keeping with their business plan even if they could sell more. We just don’t know.
This is not an industry known for providing consumers with a plethora of truthful information.