SWITZERLAND. Leading cigar house Villiger Söhne hosted a stylish and hugely entertaining 120th anniversary celebration on Friday night, attended by more than 200 guests. These included Swiss politicians, partners, overseas importers, retailers and media.
The celebration, held at the stunning hilltop venue of historic Lenzburg Castle, was hosted by company owner Heinrich Villiger, and included the groundbreaking launch of a new handmade long filler cigar: Villiger 1888 (details below).
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Historic celebration: (Clockwise from top left) Villiger’s 120th anniversary was hosted by company owner Heinrich Villiger (right), with his brother Kaspar (left) – former Swiss Minister and Federal President – as one of the guests of honour; More than 200 local and international guests joined the party at historic Lenzburg Castle; The Moodie Report Deputy Publisher Dermot Davitt (right) with former Export Director Monika Villiger, a popular face in travel retail for many years; Villiger Director Export Sales Chris Pfister with Area Export Manager, The Americas Lydia Garcia | |
Special guests on the occasion included Heinrich Villiger’s brother Kaspar, former Swiss Federal President – who also delivered a fine speech – and sister Monika, who previously headed the company’s Export department.
Heinrich Villiger welcomed guests and looked back over 120 years of proud achievement, and he was bullish about the future. “I am looking ahead with optimism,” he said. “Thanks to modern technology, strong brands, a global distribution network and a good management team, we are well equipped to face the task ahead.”
With 2007 sales of over 600 million cigars worth a total of €115 million, and with 800 employees, Villiger is among the world’s top ten cigar manufacturers.
From its beginnings as a manufacturer of fine hand-made cigars based in Switzerland, the company has developed a global presence with multiple factories in Switzerland, Germany and Indonesia.
Recently, Villiger reported another year of double-digit growth in the highly competitive business of machine-made cigars. The increases were registered in both duty free and domestic markets with substantial upswings in Latin America.
On the night, Heinrich Villiger gave a brief history of the company’s achievements since its founding by Jean Villiger in 1888, and the rapid growth of the still young company under his wife Louise after Jean Villiger’s early death in 1902.
“As you can see, the term emancipation is not an alien idea to the Villiger family,” said Heinrich Villiger. “Today it is impossible to fully appreciate the importance of my grandmother’s courage and the vision that went with it. I would like to express my joy that my daughter Corina is continuing the family tradition on the Board of Directors.”
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Clockwise from top left: Heinrich Villiger with Malaysia Airports General Manager for Commercial Services and Eraman Director/CEO Umar Bustamam; Lydia Garcia with some of her key business partners; guests were treated to a stunning performance by jazz diva Othella Dallas; Heinrich and Kaspar Villiger help launch the new 1888 long filler line | |
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Villiger’s new long filler cigar, 1888 |
Louise Villiger founded a subsidiary in the German town of Tiengen in 1910, which marked the company’s first steps towards internationalisation. She handed over management of the group to her sons Hans and Max after the first World War, who drove Villiger’s continuing growth, fuelled by regular product innovation – which culminated in the launch on Friday of the new 1888 line.
The birth of a new cigar
It is Villiger’s first handmade long filler cigar, named 1888 to commemorate the founding of the company. It is made in the Dominican Republic and comes in three formats: Corona, Robusto and Short Robusto.
In a touching moment on the night, Heinrich Villiger presented the first product to his brother Kaspar – former Swiss Federal President and Minister – and said: “We are delighted to present our first ever long filler cigar, which is a blend of fine tobaccos – a blend that will remain a secret – and I am confident that it will be a great success on the market.” The Villiger 1888 will be available to travel retail from next year.
Strong remarks
Heinrich Villiger also used the occasion to make some strong remarks about the targeting of the cigar category by anti-tobacco campaigners. He questioned the WHO’s claims about the dangers of passive smoking, and he said that the “anti-tobacco lobby is all too happy to forget about the economic importance of tobacco”.
Villiger said it was difficult to say how the future looked for the global cigar business. He said: “Politicians will determine the course of events. Will they give in to pressure from the WHO or end the marathon of the anti-tobacco industry? These circles can no longer be described in any other way as there are clear financial interests at work here, namely the diversion of the financial cash flows which are generated by the tobacco business into other channels. What is needed is a rethink: protection for a not inconsiderable minority and tolerance towards a relatively harmless pleasure.
“The WHO and EU Commission will not cease in their efforts to create a “˜smoke-free society’ as long as no counter-pressure is exerted by politicians. We could accept all this if the fight by the other side was fair and conducted on the basis of accurate figures and results from research. This is a call to those responsible in politics and the media not to accept at face value the facts being served up to them day by day by the highly organised lobby.”
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Swiss hospitality: Before the anniversary party overseas visitors enjoyed a trip to the historic city of Lucerne (top left), among them (top right, left to right) The Moodie Report’s Dermot Davitt, Sincere Match Sales Executive Martina Loke, Eraman Head of Division Merchandising Core Products Elina Jamaluddin and Eraman CEO Umar Bustamam; Bottom row: Visitors were entertained in top-class style over lunch in Lucerne by a terrific Swiss folk group | |
The anniversary evening rounded off a four-day celebration that began on 2 September. Many of the 70-strong group of overseas distributors and retailers were there to enjoy the full four-day itinerary, which included a tour of Villiger’s factory in Pfeffikon as well as visits to the historic cities of Berne and Lucerne, all organised by the Export Department.
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Celebrating in style: The export team that organised the celebration for its overseas guests: (Left to right) Chris Pfister, Director Export Sales, Worldwide; Lydia Garcia, Area Export Manager, The Americas; Ralf Zepter, Director Export Sales, Asia; Susan Hunziker, Assistant to Area Export Manager; and Nicole Willi, Assistant to Director Export Sales |
Director Export Sales Worldwide Chris Pfister thanked his team for putting the programme together: Area Export Manager, The Americas Lydia Garcia; Director Export Sales, Asia Ralf Zepter; Assistant to Area Export Manager Susan Hunziker and Assistant to Director Export Sales Nicole Willi.
During the week guests were treated to some excellent Swiss food, hospitality and entertainment – and an unforgettable performance on the night from 83-year-old US jazz singer Othella Dallas, who delivered a stunning rendition of such classics as “˜Georgia On My Mind’ among many others.
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