African Entrepreneurship Records

  Chapter 379 Gold Leaf

   February 3, 1872.

  Zimbabwe, Harare.

  Ernst led the commander to the front line, and when passing through Harare, the former capital of Zimbabwe, he happened to see the tobacco planted in the field, which was lush and full of vitality.

   Ernst has been on the road these days, so he plans to take a break here and inspect the construction work in Zimbabwe by the way.

Leaka, the mayor of Harare Town, introduced respectfully: "Your Highness, this is the tobacco planting area planned by Hexingen Tobacco Company in Zimbabwe this year. We have expanded the planting scale in various regions of Zimbabwe this year. By then, Hexingen Tobacco will The production bases will also be moved from the northern part of East Africa to Zambia and Zimbabwe, especially Zimbabwe, which is dedicated to the production of high-end tobacco."

  Seeing that his policy has been well implemented, Ernst is very pleased. For the most famous crop in Zimbabwe, tobacco must be on the list.

In the previous life, Zimbabwe was the world’s largest tobacco exporter. Zimbabweans once said: “Tobacco is as important to Zimbabwe as gold is to South Africa—if Johannesburg is a capital built on gold mines, then Harare is definitely rich in tobacco. .”

   It is not uncommon for Ernst to know Zimbabwean tobacco leaves, because in his previous life he met a friend from the Far East Tobacco Company when he was on a business trip in Zimbabwe.

   Regarding Far East Tobacco Company’s bid for tobacco in Zimbabwe, Ernst himself said it was difficult to understand, because he always believed that the Far East is a big tobacco producer, and this kind of thing still needs to be imported?

  The most outrageous thing is not the import, but Zimbabwe's tobacco needs to be auctioned. At the Harare Tobacco Auction, countries bid against each other, and the highest price wins.

  After being introduced by the staff of Far East Tobacco Company, Ernst knew why Zimbabwean tobacco leaves were so sought after, and even needed to be auctioned.

First of all, it is high quality. Zimbabwean tobacco leaves have sufficient aroma and high maturity. Flue-cured tobacco leaves are famous all over the world for their low chemical residues and relative health.

High quality and small output are not enough, and Zimbabwe is located between 15°33' and 22°24' south latitude, the annual precipitation is between 600 and 800 mm, and nearly 60% of the precipitation is concentrated in The tobacco growing season is the most suitable weather for the growth of high-quality tobacco leaves. It has the most suitable sunshine, rain and climate for the growth of flue-cured tobacco that cannot be replicated.

At the same time, Zimbabwe has the unique granite sandy loam tobacco field at the same latitude in the world, which is especially suitable for the planting of tobacco crops, making Zimbabwe known as the "golden tobacco field" in the world. The tobacco leaves grown are soft and golden in color, and are also known as "golden tobacco leaves". It is the main raw material widely used in high-end cigarettes.

  Since Zimbabwean tobacco is so good, why not many people know about it! When it comes to cigars, everyone knows Cuba, but in the field of flue-cured tobacco, Zimbabwe Gold Leaf has the same status as Cuban cigars, especially the vast majority of smokers in the world's largest flue-cured tobacco consumer country probably have never heard of it.

In fact, in the previous life, the Far East was the first importer of Zimbabwean tobacco leaves. All high-quality cigarettes sold in the Far East countries, except for tobacco from Yunnan, only choose high-quality tobacco leaves from Zimbabwe as the raw material matrix. The cigarettes in it are most likely mixed with shredded Zimbabwean tobacco. In the previous life, Zimbabwean tobacco was imported from the United States. Even in the worst years of the relationship between the two countries, almost all high-end American cigarettes had to be mixed with a certain proportion of Zimbabwean tobacco, because this kind of high-end tobacco with a unique burnt-sweet aroma is a Guarantee of quality and taste.

  Zimbabwean tobacco leaves are of high quality and high in price. Even the three high-end cigarette consumer markets in Europe and the United States can only mix Zimbabwean shredded tobacco in proportion, and are not willing to use it 100%. Zimbabwean tobacco leaf’s status in the world is evident.

  However, these advantages are not the reason why Hexingen Tobacco Company chose to grow tobacco on a large scale in Zimbabwe. The tobacco growing area in the north of East Africa is already enough to ensure the supply of tobacco.

  However, under the influence of the East African immigration policy, Ernst deliberately accelerated this process, which led to the migration of part of the agricultural population to the inland, and the tobacco growers were the first batch.

  Of course Ernst knows the benefits of tobacco production in Zimbabwe, but no matter how boastful he is, he has no choice but to grow tobacco for the first time in Zimbabwe this year, and no one knows what the finished product will be like. However, the result will not be too bad. After research by the technicians of Hexingen Tobacco Company, they also agree that Zimbabwe is more suitable for tobacco planting than other regions in East Africa. The worst quality of tobacco here after harvest is also higher than the world average. As long as After several years of selective breeding and cultivation, it can reach the best grade of tobacco in the world.

Thinking of this, Ernst suddenly had an idea, and he said to Leaka, the mayor of Harare Town: "This year, the tobacco farmers here will work harder first. If there is any difficulty, tell the government that if the labor force is not enough, apply for more slaves, Harare Lei is the present and future tobacco planting base of the East African Kingdom, and I plan to set up a tobacco factory in Harare in the future to create the Harare tobacco brand, so you must ensure the priority of tobacco planting.”

  Hearing the crown prince's arrangement, Leaka hurriedly said: "Your Highness, don't worry, I will guarantee that tobacco planting in Harare is the top priority of all residents in Harare."

  Very well, the establishment of a tobacco company in East Africa was entirely out of Ernst’s bad taste, mainly because of the name. Ernst intended to borrow from the previous Henan local cigarette brand “Golden Leaf” as the trademark of the new product.

   Zimbabwean tobacco leaves are called "golden tobacco leaves", which can also be translated as Zimbabwean "golden leaves". Isn't it a coincidence! Moreover, the golden leaves do not have the meaning of place names, which directly shows the quality of Zimbabwean tobacco leaves.

  If it is accompanied by the Tuhao Gold trademark, it will definitely make people's eyes shine when it is launched in the market. Ernst intends to directly launch the "Golden Leaf" produced in Zimbabwe as a mid-to-high-end product to East Africa and Europe.

In this way, it can also be separated from the current low-end cigarette market of Hexingen Tobacco Company. Since the supply of Hexingen Tobacco Company came from the Netherlands and other countries in the past few years, the overall quality and taste of cigarettes are not very high. High-end products need to pay more cost, and only at a higher price can you buy tobacco leaves with slightly better quality.

This situation was greatly improved when the tobacco fields in East Africa were gradually opened up and harvested, but the word of mouth could no longer rise, that is, with the convenience of industrial production, the price of cigarettes was reduced, and it was only possible to **** large tracts of tobacco from those traditional tobacco merchants. The market is mainly low-income consumer groups such as the military, workers, and farmers.

Now the production of tobacco in East Africa is sufficient. It is not a problem to maintain the price advantage of the low-priced cigarette brands under the Hexinggen Tobacco Company. Zimbabwean tobacco leaves can also be added for seasoning to improve the taste. A seat at the Hechingen Tobacco Company.

  (end of this chapter)