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Kretek and bidis sales up in overseas markets

JAKARTA-Indonesian kreteks have had a rocky history in the U.S., while Indonesian cigars have always lost out to their more exotic Cuban and Latin American contemporaries. But one Indonesian company that is refusing to go quietly into the night of export also-rans is Djarum. Aided by the estimable American tobacco entrepreneur, Hugo Cassar, Djarum is finding a renewed interest in its clove cigarettes and a new market for its Dos Hermanos cigar brand. Meanwhile, Djarum vice director for export Haryanto Wiratman, has recently concluded a deal with Dutch company Verkoopcentrale Van Tabaksprodukten (VCT) to handle marketing in Europe of Djarum Don Roberto Churchill.

Cassar, who started marketing clove cigarettes in 1983, claims that the growth in kretek consumption in the U.S. is mainly in the 18 to 25 age group and has been boosted by a higher visibility in the marketplace. This he believes is a result of Kreteks International state-of-the-art telemarketing system.

Cassar Kreteks International exclusive U.S. import deals on Djarum Special, Special Classic, Black Filter, Crystal, Plain Non-Filter, Splash, Bali Hai, Safari, 76, LA Lights, Super, the number one U.S. kretek bestseller, Special Filter, and Djarum Cigarillos ?the world first clove cigar.

Another recent addition to the shelves of U.S. tobacconists is bidis, also brought to American smokers by Kreteks International. Hugo Cassar company employs over 500 workers in India to manufacture 14 different flavors of bidi for a growing number of young Americans who find the exotic Indian staple ?sold in the U.S. as Darshan Bidis ?a perfect anti-establishment emblem of their generation.

Cassar began making bidis 18 months ago and has found them so successful ?available in such diverse flavors as chocolate, grape, and mango ?that the former car salesman and realtor has recently launched Mandarin orange and black licorice flavors onto the market. (SH)