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46 tobaccoasia was why Gizeh and Mascotte had always strived to offer as many paper varieties as possible "in order to meet any type of consumer preferences world- wide" – and regardless of prevailing fads or trends. Size Matters and a Nice Package is Important Virtually every respondent Tobacco Asia interviewed for this article agreed that a second obvious trend goes towards king sized papers. One reason for this may be that regular size papers burn out too quickly, thus wasting tobacco. On the other hand, the larger sized formats tend to extinguish when left unattended and can be re-lit. "In the RYO seg- ment we have primarily observed strong growth in the demand for king size products, not only in our traditional markets like Germany, France, and the Netherlands, but also internationally, where we have introduced our brands in various king size formats to satisfy different consumer preferences there," said Esser. As a result, practically every manufacturer has either supplemented their exist- ing brands with a range of larger format papers or developed new ones that addressed this demand. Packaging has also experienced some very welcome revamping. New, fresh, vibrant, visually striking packaging now appears to have become just as important for promoting brand awareness as it is for rejuvenating the "dusty and old-fashioned image" some of the longer-established brands had garnered – at least among some consumers – for their comparatively bland and unimaginative pre- sentation. In some cases, the packaging hadn't changed in years, if not decades. "All the main companies have updated their packaging within the last few years," asserted Daryanani. Even his own company's 33 Tabac house brand underwent an artful and modern re- design in both individual product packaging and display cases. Meanwhile, Gizeh went for a gaily colorful, eye-catching design that should pop out from store shelves. Yet, sister brand Mascotte decided to stick to a more subdued, softer color theme (at least in its organic paper range), per- haps to additionally emphasize its eco friendli- ness. Always at the forefront and a true industry trailblazer, RAW never took a lazy backseat when it came to presenting their products in the most appealing way possible. Its organic range packag- ing accordingly dwells on earthy colors that leave no doubt that this product is good for the envi- ronment. As a final touch – and not unlike a gift – each booklet or box is even neatly wrapped with a hemp string. Last but not least, Republic Tech- nologies not only expanded its product range to organic papers, but also went the extra step of exclusively using recycled material and vegetable dyes in sprucing up the visual appearance of their OCB brand's packaging. Lisa Esser, head of international business, Mascotte/Gizeh Gizeh Super Fine "green" trend as far back as a decade ago, prompt- ing him to create natural unbleached papers under the company's tremendously popular RAW brand, which enjoys a sort of cult following among dis- cerning and highly individual connoisseurs. "Cur- rently, our invention of natural unbleached RAW rolling papers is celebrating its 10-year anniversa- ry," he said, adding that "it's [matured into] a trend across all [RYO] products, brands, and markets. As our world becomes more homogenized, there is a natural trend [among consumers] to seek out the authentic." Lisa Esser, head of international business at Dutch company Mignot & de Block B.V., producer of globally renowned brands Gizeh and Mascotte, likewise highlighted "customers' changed con- sciousness with regards to ecologically sustain- able consumption" and added that both brands responded to this situation by introducing certified 100% organic, unbleached hemp papers some time ago. Furthermore, the company also offers heavier (18-18.5 grams per sq. m) hemp paper, which Es- ser regarded as a true innovation "because hemp paper is usually only available in very light and thin quality". But she also judged the rising demand for unrefined rolling paper as "less of a trend, but rath- er a natural market development that our brands will have to continue taking into account in the years to come." Yet, in the end, Esser thinks it's "problematic to clearly define particular trends in our type of business." Instead, consumers in every country had their own preferences and habits, she said. This held especially true for consumers who had taken to rolling their own cigarettes, which