STG closes Mac Baren and Sutliff

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sardonicus87

Lifer
Jun 28, 2022
1,340
13,971
37
Lower Alabama
A carton of no filters here is up to $110.
I wonder what the regular filter Camels are in comparison. I would imagine that the Wides cost more due to less people smoking them, I know where I buy them, I had to tell them to keep them in stock and I'll buy them, most places don't carry the Wides. Whenever I go in, they only ever have two cartons at most of Menthol Wides on the shelf. I'd imagine filterless is in a similar boat as the Wides.
 
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woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,706
20,431
SE PA USA
It’s pretty clear to me the upshot for STG if WCC, Country Squire, Peretti, Wilke, etc. were unable to source quality and affordable blending components. Those house blends will be off the market and not competing with STG’s other higher margin products.

FWIW, there are other tobacco processors out there. Sutliff closing may not be ideal, but in the (somewhat) free market, there is always someone who will step up and fill the need, if there is money to be made.
 
Jan 30, 2020
2,210
7,320
New Jersey
OK, I'll bite: Why is it dumb? The elves at STG seem to think it's the cat's pajamas.
It will be interesting to see what, exactly, they are shutting down in the US. Just the manufacture plant? Everything? Sutliff Distribution handles a ton of stuff including Lane so I wonder if import/distribution will endure and only manufacture moves to the homeland. If so, what does that potentially mean for components supply?

Admittedly, there's many open questions.
 

SoupCan

Might Stick Around
Sep 15, 2024
72
1,122
Kansas City, MO
FWIW, there are other tobacco processors out there. Sutliff closing may not be ideal, but in the (somewhat) free market, there is always someone who will step up and fill the need, if there is money to be made.
I don’t know a ton about the market, I do know that C&D sells blending tobaccos but beyond that I’m not sure. Hopefully the market jumps to fill the quickly enough to avoid catastrophic disruption to these blending houses.
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,706
20,431
SE PA USA
It will be interesting to see what, exactly, they are shutting down in the US. Just the manufacture plant? Everything? Sutliff Distribution handles a ton of stuff including Lane so I wonder if import/distribution will endure and only manufacture moves to the homeland. If so, what does that potentially mean for components supply?

Admittedly, there's many open questions.
Why should they keep Sutliff open when they have the CI/P&C/M&D operation?
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,706
20,431
SE PA USA
Who in those companies handles import/distribution? Considering Sutliff Distribution was seemingly handling Lane products that argument doesn't hold up entirely.
M&D (Meier and Dutch) is the distribution arm of STG USA. It operates out of the same Bethlehem, PA warehouse as CI and P&C. My experience with them was less than impressive. While Sutliff may have been a wholesale distributor for Lane, they buy from M&D.
 
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Jan 30, 2020
2,210
7,320
New Jersey
M&D (Meier and Dutch) is the distribution arm of STG USA. It operates out of the same Bethlehem, PA warehouse as CI and P&C. My experience with them was less than impressive. While Sutliff may have been a wholesale distributor for Lane, they buy from M&D.
I don't think that's entirely accurate? My recent purchase of Captain Black Gold states "Made in Denmark. Imported by Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane Ltd. Richmond, VA 23223 USA" which leads me to believe the import was done by Sutliff.
 

Terry Lennox

Can't Leave
Aug 11, 2021
494
2,630
Southern California
This has become a pointless debate. The question of distribution is always solvable. They distribute Peter Stokkebye bulk in the US under some arrangement. The question really is what products (including blending components) will they choose to keep in production longer term. They clearly believe they can produce everything the market wants at the Assens factory. Time will tell if end users like what they make.
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,706
20,431
SE PA USA
I don't think that's entirely accurate? My recent purchase of Captain Black Gold states "Made in Denmark. Imported by Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane Ltd. Richmond, VA 23223 USA" which leads me to believe the import was done by Sutliff.
Sutliff, as a company, no longer exists. It hasn't existed for a long time, since Mac Baren bought them. It doesn't surprise me that STG has moved some distribution to the building formerly known as Sutliff, so thanks for pointing that out to me. I was not knowing!
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
6,159
52,927
Minnesota USA
On an unrelated note, I heard that a US manufacturer is taking steps to use a man made tobacco substitute to replace natural grown tobacco in all of its products by 2028, an anonymous trusted industry insider code named “Dark Throat” revealed recently on Telegram…
 

Stah

Lurker
Dec 12, 2022
35
161
www.tobaccoreviews.com
I think shutting down any bulk producer that many blend houses and shops use as their primary mixers would be pretty dumb. Fingers crossed this won’t be an extinction level event.
Why not? Didn't FCMG retailers like Walmart do the same thing with small 'buy & go' shops to claim their market? B&M blenders' community is not so huge - actually, it's consolidated in US, mostly. Come to any European town - all you can find made by STG, Kopp and MB. There are no B&M blenders there. Ok, there is still old uncle Frank in Germany and couple of ancient guys like him. For the whole Germany. The sourse is meaning. And now half of raw-processed source (at least) for custom blends has been claimed by STG. Indeed, we still have Arango and LeafOnly but custom processing is not an easy thing. Moreover - Sutliff purchased some unique leaves like Yenije - say farewell to TS-24, White Knight, Peretti Royal and other Balkan Sobranie clones/similarities).
 
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pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,551
5,040
Slidell, LA
In a discussion on the zoom call I attend the reason given for the sale was that the next generation of the family had no interest in keeping the company. $78,000,000 is a pretty convincing reason.
I may be wrong but that sounds like the reason Dunhill moved completely away from anything tobacco related (not the money but the no interest in keeping the company).

We may call the pipes "Dunhills" but officially they are "White Spots."

I would put STG on the Naughty List and send Krampus to visit them but they have too many other blends I like.
 
I may be wrong but that sounds like the reason Dunhill moved completely away from anything tobacco related (not the money but the no interest in keeping the company).

We may call the pipes "Dunhills" but officially they are "White Spots."

I would put STG on the Naughty List and send Krampus to visit them but they have too many other blends I like.
A little different. Whereas, MacBaren's kids, just don't seem to want the business, but want the money. They didn't seem to mind their name on tobacco products. The Dunhill corporation (not family) , did not want the money, nor the association with tobacco in any way. It probably pisses them off still when we call the pipes, Dunhills.
 
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