Now it's official - Herbert Motzek wants to quit

[multuminparvo]

I just had a look at his site and he is looking for a successor that takes care of his business:
Nachfolger: Sie haben Interesse?

Nach 51 Berufsjahren, davon 46 Jahre in der Branche, 40 Jahre im eigenen Geschäft, möchte ich, als fast 70-jähriger in den Ruhestand gehen u. suche jetzt einen fähigen Nachchfolger für mein einzigartiges Geschäft mit Cigarrenlounge, Pfeifenwerkstatt und Lizenz zur Tabakherstellung in Kiel. Melden Sie sich am Besten telefonisch +49 431 554162 .
...after a working carreer of 51 years, thereof 46 years within the industry and operating my own business for 40 years I'm now going on 70 and contemplating retirement. I'm looking for an able Successor for my unique Shop (Cigar Lounge, Pipe Repair Shop, and Tobacco Manufacturing license) in Kiel. Interested parties please inquire per phone +49 431 554162
Well it's far fetched but maybe someone is interested in setting up shop in good old Germany.
Cheers

Hannes

 

[Dutch Pipe Smoker]

Ahww.... Well, I am glad for him in a way, he has worked long enough. Such a friendly guy, was there this year.

 

[kaboom]

I'd been delaying it for a while but you guys just freaked me out into ordering 200g of Strang just in case he gets flooded with orders in anticipation of it becoming unavailable.
This sucks. A trip to Germany is on the cards but not on the near future and I very much would have liked to pay him a visit...

 

[jackswilling]

How about our friends at Standard Tobacco getting the rights to produce?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I wonder if it is a huge influx of huge orders being placed from overseas that may have pushed him off the fence? For a small business too much demand can be a death sentence, especially if he is having to roll them things by hand. Maybe MacBarens needs to step in and start producing for him. Ehhh, on second thought, they'd just find some way to make the stuff bite the heck out of us.

 

[bigpond]

Group buy: tobacco shop?

 

[michaelmirza]

I wonder if Strang will live on without him... better buy while you can!

 

[sablebrush52]

The tobaccos aren't blended in the shop. They have a separate facility for producing their product, and his wife actually produces the tobaccos.

 

[deathmetal]

Group buy: tobacco shop?

That's the only sensible response in my view. But working with partners can be challenging.

 

[fitzy]

Great who's idea was it to get everyone on the forum hooked on the stuff just before he retires? ha ha

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Great who's idea was it to get everyone on the forum hooked on the stuff just before he retires? ha ha

Peck.

 

[iamn8]

Without a doubt. I've sent Peck an email thanking him for the Strang and then cursing him for the Strang.

 

[newbroom]

I guess we'll be left with only Durm, once Strang is gone. Time marches on.

 

[iamn8]

Seems a seriously good opportunity assuming integrity stays intact, for someone to take his blend global, still small, but available.

 

[Dutch Pipe Smoker]

I asked German masterblender Hans Wiedemann from HU Tobacco if he was interested in taking over Motzek's business, or at least the tobacco part. But he still has to take things easy because of his earlier health problems.. So I hope someone with a heart for pipe smoking takes over the Motzek business.

 

[wayneteipen]

I was recently gifted a sample of Strang and man is it good. I could smoke it every day. I sure hope it continues to be available. I'd love to stock up.

 

[sallow]

Probably because people keep faffing around with his product.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Probably because people keep faffing around with his product.

:clap:

 

[woodsroad]

"How about our friends at Standard Tobacco getting the rights to produce? "
There's a reason that we don't see more unique product like Strang. It's labor-intensive to produce, and despite the fact that it has it's rabid devotees, the market for it is really very, very small. Personally, I like the stuff, but it isn't nirvana. A little too one-dimensional and it has some kind of humectant in it that I don't care for. So, I like the idea of Strang, but the actual tobacco itself is not on my A-list. Above par, to be certain, but it doesn't induce that ethereal response that something like, say, Mixture 79 does.

 

[deathmetal]

"Motzek facility purchased, will now produce Mixture 79 match" -- life's absurd twists.
Having seen the group buy trainwreck, it seems to me that someone should consider pooling their money not to buy Strang but to produce more of it. 15 lbs of luxury tobacco plus shipping is probably halfway to his purchase price.