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tobaccoasia 47 EVA Green by Bulgartabac EVA Yellow by Bulgartabac Tobacco. "But we are proud to say that the com- pany has remained the market leader in Bulgaria, which is an incredible achievement." Though the comfortable times as a region- wide monopoly were over, Russia and a number of former Eastern Bloc countries such as Georgia, Turkmenistan, and Kazhakstan, are still among the company's key customers Yet the company's presence nowadays reaches far beyond its former home turf, its products being sold in over 25 coun- tries across three continents. Asia also is taking an increasingly important role as the company has identified it as a region with great potential. Bul- gartabac currently exports to Taiwan, the Philip- pines, and Japan brands like MM, E A , Prestige, Victory, Welcome, and Global. "In 2015, we have increased our sales [in Asia] by 25% compared to 2014," Bulgartabac said, add- ing that the company has also encountered "an interest towards our brands from other markets in the region that we have so far not tapped, and we are in the process of negotiating with potential new partners." Bulgartabac expanded its manufacturing in- frastructure, too (see Table 1), today operating three cigarette factories plus a facility for tobacco process- ing. "For the latter, we purchase all types of Bulgaria- grown tobacco – flue-cured, burley and oriental – and are in fact one of the major buyers in the country. For the past five years, Bulgartabac has consistently purchased about 20% of all green tobacco produced in the country," the company stated. Location Blagoevgrad Pleven Sofia Banja Luka (Bosnia and Hercegovina) Established 1962 1985 1986 September 2013 (through acquisition) Total Area 61,220 sq.m. 84,000 sq.m. 26,550 sq.m. no data Main Activity Cigarette Tobacco Cigarette Cigarette production production processing production Max. Capacity 28bn sticks 14,000 tons 19,9bn sticks 1.392bn sticks (per shift) Table 1. Bulgartabac Holding AD: Current Manufacturing Bases (Source: www.bulgartabac.bg) Victory Exclusive White by Bulgartabac A SENSE OF DISCOVERY INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY, EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES, MULTIPLE OPTIONS Essentra's innovative Sensory range, designed to create a smoking experience as individual as your customers, includes filters that look as good as they taste and taste as good as they perform. ESSENTIAL SOLUTIONS, DELIVERED DISCOVER MORE AT WWW.ESSENTRA.COM/FILTERS ©2016 Essentra 64110_Tobacco_Asia_SensoryRange_HP_ENGLISH_141016_SJ.indd 1 14/10/2016 17:20 images courtesy of Bulgartabac Holding AD images courtesy of Bulgartabac Holding AD