(4 minutes read)
· A Zimbabwean entrepreneur has launched the first local brand of hand-rolled cigars in the country. Zimbabwe is the highest producer of tobacco in Africa and sixth largest in the world
· In May this year, Mafundikwa launched Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars — the local Lozi name for the Victoria Falls, which translates to “the smoke that thunders”
A Zimbabwean entrepreneur has launched the first local brand of hand-rolled cigars in the country. Zimbabwe is the highest producer of tobacco in Africa and sixth largest in the world. Last year, the country produced more than 252 million kilogrammes of tobacco. The tobacco brand known as “golden leaf Virginia” is mostly used for
cigarettes and is exported to China, Germany and other international markets.
The tobacco baron is Shep Mafundikwa, who returned last year from the United States after working there for 15 years or os. What drove him to the tobacco business was the commitment to help his fellow countrymen and to help the farmers to add value to their products. Like many of the cigarette manufacturers, Shep Mafundikwa is a non-smoker. He was influenced by multitudes of cigar lounges across the United States and thought that the same thing can be tested in his own home country. To know the nuts and bolts of cigar manufacturing, he visited Cuba and the Dominican Republic, both premium cigar producers and enlisted the support of an expert.
In May this year, Mafundikwa launched Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars — the local Lozi name for the Victoria Falls, which translates to “the smoke that thunders”. The cigars come in different sizes, prices and flavors that send wafts of cherry and vanilla across the factory. Mafundikwa said he was targeting both seasoned and novice smokers.
