Tobacco Products International magazine - Quarter 4, 2017

Quarter 4, 2017

OTTENGER DAVIDOFF

Luxury tobacco firm unviels its new global headquarters as changes in senior level management usher in a new era.

PLUS: • Swedish Match divests its last STG holdings, exits premium cigar segment

PLUS: • Swedish Match divests its last STG holdings, exits premium cigar segment

• BAT’s Fontem Ventures acquires eliquid firm Nerudia Ltd.

• BAT’s Fontem Ventures acquires eliquid firm Nerudia Ltd.

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FEATURES

{ TRENDWATCH }

6 Chewing Tobacco Bags have emerged as a viable smokeless tobacco alternative under EEC regulations, offering consumers in EU markets a product with similar characteristics and benefits as snus. STAFF REPORT

An Increasingly Enlightened Approach Toward Harm Reduction Gains Ground

Ever so slowly, the prospect of reduced risk tobacco products being embraced as part of a “continuum of risk” approach to tobacco regulation around the world appears to be gaining ground. So says Swedish Match AB, a leading smokeless tobacco producer active in both traditional and innovative new product segments.

“In the world around us, there exists a continuously growing interest, from consumers, industry players and certain important policymakers, in tobacco harm reduction. Where regulators have yet to acknowledge a more science-based approach to tobacco regulation, we have continued to make our voice and solid fact base heard,” the company stated in its fiscal report for the third quarter ending September 2017.

The Stockholm-based company notes that some countries in Europe, joined by the US and New Zealand, are taking an increasingly enlightened approach toward harm reduction. In the US, regulators have reaffirmed their intention to regulate in a manner that will encourage consumers to migrate from cigarettes to less harmful products. Unfortunately, other countries continue to take an alternative approach by not recognizing the positive role products like snus or next-generation tobacco-free nicotine offerings can have in reducing the harm caused by cigarette smoking. Swedish Match is actively working to move the pendulum in the right direction—sometimes through litigation.

E. EDWARD “TED” HOYT III Editor

ROBERT M. LOCKWOOD Publisher & President { ART & PRODUCTION } LILY LEE Art Director

MELINDA AYALA Production Coordinator

ROXANNE CORDOVA MELENDEZ Accountant

{ ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES }

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Tobacco Products International Lockwood Trade Journal Co. Inc., 3743 Crescent Street, Second Floor Long Island City, New York 11101 U.S.A.

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» Ted Hoyt, Editor

{Industry News}

Swedish Match Sells its Remaining STG Group Shares, Exits Premium Cigar Sector

stockholm Swedish Match Treasury Switzerland AG, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Swedish Match AB, sold its entire remaining stake of 9,069,906 shares in Scandinavian Tobacco Group A/S (STG), a company listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen, through an accelerated book building process to institutional investors. In January, the company had reduced its ownership in STG from 18.1 percent to 9.1 percent.

In 1999, the company’s involvement in premium cigars was limited to its Indonesian factory and its best known brand at the time, Montague, when it purchased the mass market cigar business of General Cigar Company in the US and sold its cigarette business to Austria Tabak. It then acquired premium cigar maker El Credito, with factories in Florida, USA and the Dominican Republic, marking its first big step into the premium cigar segment in the US.

In 2000, Swedish Match acquired a 64 percent stake in premium cigar maker General Cigar Company, and in 2004 acquired the premium cigar brands, tobacco plantations, and cigar factories of U.S. Tobacco Inc. as part of a settlement resolving legal action Swedish Match had initiated under US antitrust laws against U.S. Tobacco. In 2005, Swedish Match acquired all remaining ownership in General Cigar Company, and in 2006 acquired European premium cigar brands Hajenius and Oud Kampen from The Burger Group. A year later in 2007, Swedish Match acquired major US online and catalog retailer and brand owner Cigars International Inc.

In 2010, Swedish Match and Skandinavisk Holding A/S created STG, a joint venture with leading market positions in cigars, pipe tobacco, and fine cut tobacco. Swedish Match contributed its pipe tobacco, accessories businesses, and cigar businesses, with the exception of US mass market cigars and its minority interest in Arnold André, and held a 49 percent stake, while STG contributed all of its tobacco businesses including cigars, pipe tobacco, and fine cut tobacco, and held a 51 percent stake.

Fontem Ventures Acquires Nerudia Ltd

bristol, uk Fontem Ventures, owner of market-leading electronic vapor brand blu and part of Imperial Brands PLC, has acquired Nerudia Ltd., a four-year-old Liverpool, UK-based maker of nicotine liquids for e-cigarettes. The company also provides regulation compliance, analytic support, and regulatory support for vapor companies.

Fontem is focused on the rapidly growing e-vapor sector, and blu is one of the leading EVP brands in the UK, USA, France, and Italy.

“In blu, we have one of the best e-vapor brands in the world and we continue to focus on improving the consumer experience,” said Titus Wouda Kuipers, Chief Executive of Fontem Ventures. “Vaping technology is continually evolving and in October 2017 we substantially enhanced our technical capabilities with the acquisition of the e-vapor innovation business Nerudia.”

{Personnel Update

» After ten years on the Board of Directors of Oettinger Davidoff AG, Andreas Schmid, 60, Chairman and shareholder, has left the firm in order to concentrate on his other roles at various global companies. The board has nominated Domenico Scala, 52, as the new Chairman. In addition, Beat Hauenstein, 50, former COO of the group, has been appointed as the new CEO, succeeding Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, 59, who after seven years leading the company has decided to concentrate on his board and consultancy mandates outside the company.

» Corporación Habanos, S.A. has promoted Rodrigo González Jiménez to Strategic Marketing Director, succeeding José María López Inchaurbe following his appointment last May as the new Habanos, S.A. Development Vice-president. González has more than 15 years of experience in communication and marketing, having joined Imperial Tobacco Company in 2006 and occupied different responsibilities in the Corporate Communications and Trade & Consumer Marketing divisions. In 2014, he was named Operational Marketing Deputy Director.

» NyB Cigars (Nadir y Bohue Ptd. Ltd.) has appointed Steven Kron as International Sales Director. Kron, who was previously the Head of Dunhill Cigars at British American Tobacco, brings a wealth of industry experience to drive the expansion of NyB’s International sales of Nicarao, La Ley and A.J. Fernandez products in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Oettigner Davidoff AG Dedicates its Newly-Constructed Head Office in Basel

basel Oettinger Davidoff AG has opened Maison Davidoff at 73 Nauenstrasse in Basel on 25th October 2017. The newly constructed building serves as the head office of the family-run business, replacing the company’s former 1930 building on the same site. The old building, which had previously been remodeled several times, had served the company well for over 85 years. With the completion of the construction work, which lasted from April 2015 to July 2017, approximately 160 employees will be working in the new Maison Davidoff.

Beat Hauenstein, CEO at Oettinger Davidoff AG, said the official opening not only represented a milestone in the history of the company, but that, “Maison Davidoff is also a magnificent gift from the owners, and after two years of construction we can finally move in... The new building will encourage inter-divisional collaboration and will promote creativity, productivity and innovation, which will be crucially important for the successful global growth of our cigar business.”

cityscape in a way that is modern and natural. The building features communicative workspaces and reception rooms complemented with showrooms, modern cigar lounges and a walk-in humidor and a cafeteria. Artworks on the various floors, created by artists from the Davidoff Art Initiative, are intended to reflect the basic values of the Swiss company: Respect for nature, the preservation of traditional methods in the cultivation of premium tobacco and cigar production, as well as reflection on the cultural artistic heritage and contemporary art scene in the Caribbean.

“With the expressive load-bearing

external supports, we wanted to create a building that would reflect the bustling work that goes on inside Davidoff. Like a choir, the supports line the office levels and become part of the tectonics, the poetics of the artisanal construction. The external design is aimed at passers-by and is set against the anonymity of the large thoroughfare,” says Roger Diener.

Oettinger Davidoff AG, with sales of over half a billion Swiss francs and 3,600 employees around the world, traces its roots back to 1875 and remains family-owned to this day. The company is dedicated to the business of producing, marketing, distributing and retailing premium branded cigars, tobacco products and accessories. The premium-branded cigar business includes Davidoff, AVO, Camacho, Cusano, Griffin’s, Private Stock, Zino and Zino Platinum. Oettinger Davidoff AG is also the sole agent of many brands in several countries such as Haribo in Switzerland and S.T. Dupont in the USA. Its business is anchored in a strong “crop-to-shop” philosophy, having pursued vertical integration from the tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua to its worldwide network of over 75 Davidoff Flagship Stores that complement a network of strong Appointed Merchants around the world.

Designed by Diener & Diener, Maison Davidoff fits into the Basel

Chewing Tobacco Bags Offer Compelling Snus-Like Alternative Under EU Ban

Even as Swedish Match challenges the EU snus ban in court, numerous snus makers continue to invest in an alternative pouch product that’s already legal. » STAFF REPORT

The distribution and sale of tobacco products for oral use, except those intended to be smoked or chewed, have been banned in the European Union since 1992. Considering Swedish snus is neither smoked nor chewed, it is among the products prohibited for sale in the political and economic union of 28 member states, where only one exception has been carved out. When Sweden entered into the EU in 1995, the country—home to the world’s largest snus market and

concentration of snus manufacturers— was granted a permanent exemption from the ban. Cigarettes, as well as other types of traditional smokeless tobacco products including Asian nasvai, African cheema, American deep, nasal snuff, and chewing tobacco, can all be legally sold within the EU.

The oral tobacco ban in the EU has been more than just a source of puzzlement to snus manufacturers, but a significant trade barrier in an era of growing interest in lower risk alterna -

tives to combustible cigarettes. Snus proponents point to Scandinavia’s extremely low smoking rates as a direct correlation to snus availability and popularity, while years of studies suggest there are significantly lower health risks associated with the use of snus versus combustible cigarettes. A growing interest in alternative nicotine products throughout global markets has even gained the support of many researchers and health professionals.

Swedish Match AB, the world’s largest producer of Swedish snus, challenged the EU snus ban last year in Britain’s High Court of Justice, calling on it to ask the European Court of Justice to revisit the legal grounds of the ban. The company argues that the latest Tobacco Products Directive permits the sale of a variety of novel tobacco products and e-cigarettes in the EU, in direct opposition to the very arguments that were used to justify the snus ban in the first place.

Yet, a number of snus manufacturers including Swedish Match have been testing line extensions of their established snus brands that embrace the legality of cut tobacco but offering it in portioned bags. These so-called chewing tobacco bags don’t contain powdered tobacco like snus, they offer similar or identical taste profiles to their sister products. To use, consumers simply chew on the pouches gently a few times.

Swedish Match, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of smoke-free tobacco products, sees significant potential for smokeless products in Europe. In June, within the company’s “other tobacco products: area, Swedish Match launched chew bags in Germany, the latest market in the EU it has targeted for this emerging product. Its chew bags have already have had some presence

Left: General Cut chewing tobacco bags from Swedish Match AB, which contain finely cut tobacco in pouches, have been rolled out in limited release in several European markets including Germany.

in Denmark, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic. “Expanding our offerings of innovative smokeless products in line with our strategy provides greater consumer choice in both existing and new markets,” the company explains.

Although Swedish Match has added chew bag varieties under its flagship General brand, it also created an entirely new sub-brand, General CUT. Utilizing the company’s latest technological developments, tobacco is cut, air-cured, and then processed with water, salt, and flavor additives. “Our goal with General CUT was to create the lutschtabak experience of the future, while relying on the classic flavors of General,” explains Swedish Match in product materials.

While nearly identical visually to portion snus, chewing tobacco bags are used slightly differently. “Chew lightly on it a few times and wait for that tingling feeling,” explains Swedish Match, adding, “for more taste, chew lightly on it again.” Since the tobacco is pasteurized like snus, there is no need to spit. Used pouches can be stashed under the can lid.

Like its snus, Swedish Match says General CUT tastes best when fresh— the cooler, the better—and recommends that the product be kept refrigerated until the can is opened for the first time. After that, freshness can be sufficiently maintained by the resealable lid if the product is consumed within a couple of weeks. General CUT is currently offered in Portion, Portion Extra Strong, White Portion Ice, and White Portion Ice Extra Strong varieties, echoing taste profiles of other General snus lines.

Emerging Segment Draws Investment

Swedish Match isn’t the only manufacturer that’s been rolling out chewing bag products in Scandinavian and European markets. GN Tobacco Sweden AB, which built a state-of-the-art snus factory in Enköping, Sweden in 2014, added a dedicated chewing bag line to

the facility, embracing this latest evolution and modernization to the chewing tobacco format which is “convenient, easy-to-use, and aesthetically pleasant.”

“We cut tobacco into small fractions for chewing tobacco, while for snus we grind tobacco into fine dust,” explains GN Tobacco, noting that due to this difference, nicotine begins to actively penetrate the oral cavity only when consumer nibble on the chewing bag.

This characteristic actually provides a consumer advantage for chewing bags, the company notes. “The consumer can control the delivery of nicotine from tobacco by activating chewing; he controls when and how much nicotine he needs, while the release of nicotine from snus is constant and uncontrolled.”

The company notes that the paper

used for chewing tobacco bags is more resistant than snus paper to wear, but none-the-less advisee customers not to chew bags too hard, but rather enjoy slight nibbling.

GN Tobacco supplies chewing tobacco to Sweden, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Serbia among other markets.

The fifth generation family-owned Danish snus maker Assens Tobaksfabrik, through its AG Snus subsidiary, is also selling chewing tobacco bags in a number of different EU markets. Its INK brand is available in five recently re-blended varieties (Strong Ice, Strong Original, X-Strong Black, X-Treme Ice, and X-Treme Tropic), while its sleek U Sample brand comes in No 15 Black & Arctic, No 5 Original, and No 7 Arctic.TPI

Swedish Match Acquisition of V2 Points to Evolution as the Future of Smokeless

In August, Swedish Match acquired V2 Tobacco, a privately held smokeless tobacco company headquartered in Silkeborg, Denmark, that’s shown solid growth in the modern chewing tobacco segment with chew bags.

Founded in 2006, V2 Tobacco has modern and flexible production facilities in Silkeborg, Denmark, with yearly production volumes that include close to 20 million cans of chew bags and snus combined. Its portfolio consists of brands including Thunder, Offroad, and Phantom, in both chew bags and snus.

The company is active in more than 25 markets, with the main markets being Denmark, Sweden and Norway, Germany, Switzerland, on-line, and a small but growing presence in certain other European markets. The two firms have been spirited legal adversaries in the past.

Under the transaction, Swedish Match acquired 100 percent of the shares in V2 Tobacco. Marc Vogel, CEO and one of V2 Tobacco’s founders, has agreed to remain with the company, which will be operated for the most part independently from other Swedish Match businesses, according to Swedish Match.

“A vibrant and independent V2 Tobacco business fits very well as a complement to our existing organization,” said Lars Dahlgren, President and CEO of Swedish Match. “V2 Tobacco’s modern and adaptable production allows Swedish Match improved flexibility and expanded opportunities to adapt to changing consumer desires, helping Swedish Match to move further toward its vision of a world without cigarettes.” Details of the purchase price were not disclosed.

Gizeh’s Fresh CliQ Filter Tubes Let Smokers Release a Burst of Fresh Menthol Flavor

The special feature of Gizeh Fresh CliQ filter tube is a small capsule located inside the filter. When crushed by the user by pinching the filter on the marking between the thumb and forefinger, the capsule opens with a quiet “click” and releases fresh mint flavor into the filter. This novel solution enables the user to activate the flavor themselves, exactly when they want it, for maximum impact.

GIZEH Fresh CliQ filter tubes are 84 mm in total length, while the filter measures 15 mm and are available in a box of 100 tubes, 5 boxes per carton.

GIZEH Raucherbedarf GmbH, Gummersbach, Germany, Tel: +49 2261-4059-0

Email: contact@gizeh-online.de, Web: gizeh-online.de.

Habanos S.A. Unveils Línea Retro at the 35th Annual Havana International Fair

The new Línea Retro has kicked off with two products: Partagás Capitols and Romeo y Julieta Club Kings, novelties that were showcased by Habanos S.A. at the 35th Edition of the Havana International Fair (FIHAV 2017), alongside a wide collection of classic products from the Cuban firm.

This highly appealing and modern-day release boasts an unmistakable retro charm in its design, and stands out for its metal box presentation. The attractive design was inspired by the original pocket cigar holders that became popular in the 1970s, which are today highly-valued and sought after by collectors all around the world.

The Partagás Capitols and Romeo y Julieta Club Kings cigar cases feature a technical design developed exclusively for Habanos, S.A. that will solely be used for the Línea Retro product launches. Each case holds five Habanos, with the vitola de galera Mareva (42 ring gauge x 129 mm length). Mareva is possibly the most popular format in the history of Habanos, and its dimensions have been for a long time considered the “standard” size versus all the other formats. With Partagás Capitols, the brand Partagás introduces again the Mareva to the brand’s regular portfolio. The Línea Retro, consequently, joins the Habanos portfolio with the aim of gradually introducing this same concept to other brands.

Habanos, S.A., Havana, Cuba, Email: info@habanos.com, Web: habanos.com.

NyB Cigars Adds Nicarao and La Lay Aged Limitadas

Didier Houvenaghel, founder of Nicarao Cigars and NyB Cigars, has created two very limited edition blends in his latest collaboration with Nicaragua-based cigar maker Abdel “A.J.” Fernandez. The tobaccos used in both the Nicarao Especial Reserva 2014 and La Ley Reserva 2015 blends were aged an additional two to three years from those in the Nicarao Especial line, while the finished cigars were aged from one to two years, resulting in enormous complexity and range of flavors. The blends for each release have not been disclosed.

Nicarao Especial Reserva 2014 has been released as a 5 x 52 robusto, limited to only 350 numbered boxes of 21 cigars, while La Ley Reserva 2015 is offered in two different vitolas: 4 7/8 x 48 Exquisitos, limited to 250 boxes of 21 cigars, and the 6 1/2 x 56 Laguito 6, limited to 500 boxes of 21 cigars. Nadir y Bohue Pte. Ltd. (Nyb Cigars), Singapore, Email: info@nybcigars.com, Web: nybcigars.com.

Cohiba Talismán 2017 Limited Edition Makes Global Debut in London

Habanos, S.A., in conjunction with its U.K. distributor Hunters & Frankau Ltd., held an exclusive presentation marking the global launch of the Cohiba Talismán 2017 Limited Edition, an unprecedented vitola in the Habanos portfolio, at the Garden Lounge venue at the Corinthia Hotel, Corinthia Hotel in London on 7 November.

This large ring gauge Habano measures 154 mm in length and bears a 54 ring gauge diameter. It is distinguished by a medium- to full strength flavor, characteristic of the Línea Clásica blend, which also stands out for its elegant and charismatic “pigtail” finish. Made entirely by hand with long filler leaves at the legendary El Laguito factory in Havana, this Limited Edition features tobaccos that were specially selected from the Vuelta Abajo region in Pinar del Río, Cuba, and aged for over two years, lending this Habano a complex and highly aromatic character.

The cigars are presented in slide-top cedar boxes of five. Habanos, S.A., Havana, Cuba, Email: info@habanos.com, Web: habanos.com.

Davidoff Releases Year of the Dog Limited Edition

To mark the Chinese Year of the Dog, Davidoff Cigars is introducing a highly exclusive Year of the Dog 2018 Limited Edition cigar and accessory collection.

“Highly anticipated by collectors and aficionados across the globe, this limited edition will delight the fortunate few who will manage to acquire it,” said Charles Awad, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Oettinger Davidoff AG.

Chazz Selección Dominicana Cigarros

Chazz Selección Dominicana Cigarros from Arnold André are 100% pure tobacco cigarillos with a pleasantly mild profile and light spiciness, full of flavor but bearing a relaxed, uncomplicated character. The short-fill blend comes from the Dominican Republic, Brazil (Mata Fina & Mata Norte), and Java (Besuki), combined with an Ecuadorian binder and a dark, natural Mexican Sumatra wrapper. The packaging is clean and simple, “because quality speaks for itself,” explains the manufacturer.

Two formats are offered, each presented in paperboard cartons: Chazz Cigarros (11.5 x 105 mm), which are available as a 5- and a 10-pack, and Chazz Cigarillos (9 x 100 mm), available as a 20-pack. Countertop merchandising displays are also available.

Arnold André GmbH & Co. KG, Bünde, Germany, Tel. +49 52 23 1 63-0, Email: info@arnold-andre.de, Web: arnold-andre.de.

The impressive Gran Churchill (17,5 x 2 cm) format features a filler blend of San Vicente Ligero, Piloto Visus, Piloto Seco (Dominican Republic) and Estelí Seco (Nicaragua) tobaccos; a San Vicente Seco (Dominican Republic) binder; and a chocolate brown Ecuador Claro ‘Habano’ wrapper. The cigar develops a creaminess at the beginning followed by a little spicy twist and continues with light, peppery, wooden and nutty flavors, and additional notes of caramel. Only 9000 Year of the Dog cigar boxes featuring 10 cello-wrapped cigars will be available worldwide. Also offered are a Duocut Double Blade Punch Cutter and Travel Humidor. The products will be launched worldwide in January 2018.

Oettinger Davidoff AG, Basel, Switzerland, Tel: +41 58 219 36 24, Web: oettingerdavidoff.com, davidoff.com.

Davidoff’s First-Ever Cigar Liquor Glass

Inspired by statesman Sir Winston Churchill and his affection for cigars and whisky as he led Great Britain, the first-ever Davidoff cigar liquor glass is fitted with a unique feature: two notches on the side of the glass to hold your cigar—a first in the cigar world. It’s a nifty feature that leaves a free hand to greet someone, share the latest cigar review on social media, or simply post the perfect pairing picture. Moreover, the Winston Churchill silhouette is discreetly sandblasted at the bottom of the crystal glass. These exclusive handcrafted glasses are made in Western Europe by highly skilled glass blowers working for a small atelier that has 120 years of glass making experience. Available in a set of two glasses—the perfect gift for every aficionado.

Oettinger Davidoff AG, Basel, Switzerland, Tel: +41 58 219 36 24, Web: oettingerdavidoff.com, davidoff.com.

Earth Friendly Eco Cricket Lighters

The Eco Cricket series of Advance lighters from Swedish Match is the company’s contribution for a greener planet, made with minimum 25 percent of recycled Nylon, and no Nylon waste generated during production. In addition, no extra pigment is added for coloring the lighter bodies, and as little as possible paint or ink is used, including paintfree top caps. Cricket Advance lighters feature the company’s best quality, design, and safety features, including the extremely tough, high temperature-resistant and self extinguishing Nylon body.

Swedish Match Lighters B.V., Assen, The Netherlands, Tel: +31 592 376 888, Web: cricketlighters.com.

Orient-Inspired Luxor Pipe from Vauen

Understated inspiration from the Orient led to the design of Vauen’s new Luxor series of white dot quality pipes. Their distinct appearance is achieved by the slight crescent shape of the shank contrasting the acrylic fishtail mouthpiece. The “crosswise” finish creates smooth stripes on the natural color bowl for an appealing and comfortable feel, while the larger surface area ensures excellent heat distribution for a cool smoke. Six shapes are offered.

Vauen Pipes, Nuremberg, Germany, Tel: +49 911 42 43 680. Web: vauen.com.

Xikar Debuts DeeperSlicing VX2 V-Cutter

Xikar, Inc. has introduced the VX2 V-Cut, the latest metal v-cutter to join the company’s cigar cutter family. This new model is engineered to create the optimal depth v-cut, providing a deeper wedge notch than the existing VX V-Cutter, while enhancing the company’s well-known precision. VX2 V-Cut offers ergonomic, one-handed operation utilizing the all new Secure-Lock system, which requires simultaneous pressure to both side release buttons to ensure the spring-loaded cutter remains secure when not in use. The precision engineered depth of the cutter maximizes draw without cutting too deep or breaching the cigar cap, which can cause cigars to unravel. The inverted blade of this new model provides a 90° cut angle, specifically engineered to cut deeper into large ring gauge cigars while also being able to maintain the structural integrity of smaller ring gauge cigar caps. Flip the VX2 over when not in use, and enjoy a contoured cutter body, so you’ll always have a cigar rest on hand. Offered in black, red, gunmetal, or silver finishes. Xikar, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., U.S.A., Email: info@xikar.com, Web: xikar.com.