difference
The difference in Brazilian tobacco lies – beside its integrity,
which ensures a product free of any impurities or residues - in its
stability and regular supplies of superior styles, so that the clients
can prepare their blends. The different soil, climate and altitude of
the various tobacco producing regions in South Brazil are respon-
sible for the production of different styles of the same type of to-
bacco, like color and leaf texture, just to mention some of the fa-
vorable factors that make it easy for the cigarette manufacturers
to prepare their blends. This is something that could be compared
to terroir, in the case of wines. These are characteristics specific to
each different locality that result into a tobacco of superior quality.
Besides the production scale and the characteristics typical
to each region, there is also the difference in quality that stems
from the almost artisanal labor in the small-scale farms in South
Brazil. These are small farms that are conducted with care by the
families, where all cultural practices are performed diligently and
carefully. The farmers frequently walk through their fields, fol-
low closely their development, and harvest is done in stages, in
accordance with the stalk position of the leaves, and the result
translates into uniform curing and selection. This would not be
achieved in large scale and mechanized farms, without any big
increases in cost. “The quality and integrity of our product, along
with sustainable production, have kept us in the leadership of ex-
ports”, adds Schünke.
Silvio Ávila
