New interview posted on a forum in Spain, I went ahead and translated it. Does address the tin issue at least...
Two years ago, we learned about the union of Gawith Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith. How was the process?
Gawith Hoggarth bought Samuel Gawith around 2015. Many commentators refer to it as a “merger”, but it was actually an acquisition. Samuel Gawith's future was very fragile and required stability and support to ensure its continuity. In the future, more regulated costs will apply to pipe tobacco. Without the acquisition of Samuel Gawith by Gawith Hoggarth , his story would undoubtedly have ended.
Will both remain on the market?
The two brands are highly iconic and are expected to remain, although we continue to review product lines in the face of rising trade costs for tobacco, especially in the EU. Although both brands are made in the same location, the machinery and personnel were brought in from Samuel Gawith and significant differences persist between the two production techniques.
-Has the covid epidemic changed your investment to build a hotel and the Gawith museum?
Although the epidemic has certainly slowed construction, this project will continue. The renovation of the original Gawith building in Kendal is an investment in the memory of our legacy and not money. The first phase, focused on the structural safety of the building, is complete and we hope to begin the second phase, for its renovation, this summer. The building is not very big so current plans are for two apartments for rent by tourists, an exhibition shop, offices and a place of entertainment. We will use machinery and fixtures not currently used in production to furnish the building.
I have read that there will be a reorganization in your portfolio. Will you remove some references? What mixes will you keep with limited production?
We always produce what people want, but it must be in an amount that allows us to maintain profitability. However, from time to time we remove products with very limited sales from our stock cards to reduce our overall offering. This does not mean that they are not available, but that they become "special" orders that require higher minimum quantities. It's no wonder that importers often don't want to order these quantities because those blends actually move very slowly, which is why they are removed from the catalog.
What are the difficulties of being a small artisan producer in Europe?
The main difficulties we have are managing such a large product portfolio. All products in all EU countries must be registered and declared for registration fees every year. EU regulation is one of the most intense in the world and comes at a high price.
Will your business change a lot because of Brexit?
In the UK, no. However, the availability of our products in the EU is likely to change in the short term. The new trade rules likely mean that we will only supply duty free. This is a new situation that we are still trying to understand, so it can change at any time. In the coming years, we hope to be able to reintroduce mixes, but this depends on other factors that might be beyond our control.
Last year it had problems with its distribution in Spain. It has been fixed? How is the situation?
No, the Spanish market remains without distribution after difficulties with the importer. We will likely wait until travel restrictions are lifted to resolve this.
In recent years, some Spanish smokers have complained of packaging problems, including mold. It has been fixed? How can it happen in a prestigious brand like yours?
I understand that blemishes on these bulk products in Europe have been a problem for many years. There are many factors that contribute to this, but for these bulk items (250g / 500g), the environment is an important factor. For this reason, most producers do not offer any product in this format. In the UK market these products are bought and sold by specialists relatively quickly, but not in export markets. The lower sell rate with much higher temperatures is not a good match for this tobacco. We ship a lot more product to the rest of the world (outside the EU) with very little mold problems, so I think it's more of a geographic problem than anything else. Having said that,There is certainly a requirement to improve our packaging of these products to withstand a wider range of environments, but this is not an easy solution.
-There was a lot of talk about your cans.
In relation to the 50g cans. I read many articles on the web saying that the decision to use a Chinese provider was a personal one. This is incorrect. The original tin supplier, based in Europe, discontinued the production line for these cans. There are very few companies in the world that produce these iconic cans, so we have limited ourselves to working with one in China. We have been working with them on design changes to ensure better sealing properties. We believe that the cans we are producing today have improved a lot, but it may take some time to reach the EU market. We have received samples of a third generation tin design that is even better and should be used in summer production.
Two years ago, we learned about the union of Gawith Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith. How was the process?
Gawith Hoggarth bought Samuel Gawith around 2015. Many commentators refer to it as a “merger”, but it was actually an acquisition. Samuel Gawith's future was very fragile and required stability and support to ensure its continuity. In the future, more regulated costs will apply to pipe tobacco. Without the acquisition of Samuel Gawith by Gawith Hoggarth , his story would undoubtedly have ended.
Will both remain on the market?
The two brands are highly iconic and are expected to remain, although we continue to review product lines in the face of rising trade costs for tobacco, especially in the EU. Although both brands are made in the same location, the machinery and personnel were brought in from Samuel Gawith and significant differences persist between the two production techniques.
-Has the covid epidemic changed your investment to build a hotel and the Gawith museum?
Although the epidemic has certainly slowed construction, this project will continue. The renovation of the original Gawith building in Kendal is an investment in the memory of our legacy and not money. The first phase, focused on the structural safety of the building, is complete and we hope to begin the second phase, for its renovation, this summer. The building is not very big so current plans are for two apartments for rent by tourists, an exhibition shop, offices and a place of entertainment. We will use machinery and fixtures not currently used in production to furnish the building.
I have read that there will be a reorganization in your portfolio. Will you remove some references? What mixes will you keep with limited production?
We always produce what people want, but it must be in an amount that allows us to maintain profitability. However, from time to time we remove products with very limited sales from our stock cards to reduce our overall offering. This does not mean that they are not available, but that they become "special" orders that require higher minimum quantities. It's no wonder that importers often don't want to order these quantities because those blends actually move very slowly, which is why they are removed from the catalog.
What are the difficulties of being a small artisan producer in Europe?
The main difficulties we have are managing such a large product portfolio. All products in all EU countries must be registered and declared for registration fees every year. EU regulation is one of the most intense in the world and comes at a high price.
Will your business change a lot because of Brexit?
In the UK, no. However, the availability of our products in the EU is likely to change in the short term. The new trade rules likely mean that we will only supply duty free. This is a new situation that we are still trying to understand, so it can change at any time. In the coming years, we hope to be able to reintroduce mixes, but this depends on other factors that might be beyond our control.
Last year it had problems with its distribution in Spain. It has been fixed? How is the situation?
No, the Spanish market remains without distribution after difficulties with the importer. We will likely wait until travel restrictions are lifted to resolve this.
In recent years, some Spanish smokers have complained of packaging problems, including mold. It has been fixed? How can it happen in a prestigious brand like yours?
I understand that blemishes on these bulk products in Europe have been a problem for many years. There are many factors that contribute to this, but for these bulk items (250g / 500g), the environment is an important factor. For this reason, most producers do not offer any product in this format. In the UK market these products are bought and sold by specialists relatively quickly, but not in export markets. The lower sell rate with much higher temperatures is not a good match for this tobacco. We ship a lot more product to the rest of the world (outside the EU) with very little mold problems, so I think it's more of a geographic problem than anything else. Having said that,There is certainly a requirement to improve our packaging of these products to withstand a wider range of environments, but this is not an easy solution.
-There was a lot of talk about your cans.
In relation to the 50g cans. I read many articles on the web saying that the decision to use a Chinese provider was a personal one. This is incorrect. The original tin supplier, based in Europe, discontinued the production line for these cans. There are very few companies in the world that produce these iconic cans, so we have limited ourselves to working with one in China. We have been working with them on design changes to ensure better sealing properties. We believe that the cans we are producing today have improved a lot, but it may take some time to reach the EU market. We have received samples of a third generation tin design that is even better and should be used in summer production.
