Tobacco Asia

60 tobaccoasia Issue 6, 2025 November / December Onat also highlighted the cooperative's social role. "We are not just a business. We are a community. Our farmers depend on this crop. We pro- vide training, equipment, and a guaranteed buyer. That's rare in our region." Looking ahead, Onat gave himself optimistic. "One day we are going to be everywhere, I hope," he said. "We believe that we have the potential, and we have exceptional quality at an affordable price. We are not only focused on Germany but also on other international markets. With scalable capacity and EU-compliant brands already prepared, we are ready to grow our partner- ships and expand our presence step by step in Europe and beyond." International Tobacco Company Overseas Ltd.: Bulgaria's veteran trader "I've been in the tobacco business for 35 years," said Lubomir Entchev, own- er and proprietor of International Tobacco Company Overseas Ltd., based in Sofia, Bulgaria. "I buy my tobacco directly from Bulgarian farmers." Entchev's portfolio includes oriental, burley, and virginia tobaccos, all processed at Parvomay—a large Bulgarian merchant with its own facilities. "We are a comparatively small trader," Entchev admitted. "But we sell to cigarette manufacturers in Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, France, Netherlands, and Germany." However, the company's sales to Russia ceased in 2022 due to sanctions related to the Ukraine war. "Russia is in a very difficult position now," Entchev noted. "But we also sell to Jordan, UAE—mostly Dubai—Oman, Iraq." Mid- dle Eastern clients use Entchev's tobacco for cigarette blends, not shisha. "Bulgaria produces some shisha-grade tobacco," he said. "It's good quality, with a nicotine content of a little more than 1%. But the output is very small. The tobaccos I trade in the Middle East are, therefore, primarily used for cigarette blends." For Entchev, attending InterSupply 2025 was less about new business and more about maintaining relationships. "I primarily came to meet up with long-time customers," he said. "It's great catching up and discussing the ev- er-changing business dynamics in the tobacco sector." But the landscape is shifting, particularly for smaller traders like himself. "It's getting increasingly difficult to sell," Entchev admitted. "Restrictions, factory closures, stiff com- petition. Everybody is trying to hold on to their share of the pie. EU regula- tions—they are crazy. Crazy." Perhaps that is why Entchev is presently pivoting a bit more towards Southeast Asia than he used to in the past. "We sell some tobacco to Indo- nesia," he said. "We try to also sell to Vietnam." But his past ventures of acquisitioning Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi tobacco have defi- nitely been put on ice—at least for the time being. "Their prices have gone up so much," he noted. "There's no profit margin in it for me anymore. And shipping also takes 60, 70, even 80 days to Europe, with shipping costs having skyrocketed." Against the odds There is no revolution underway in the interna- tional tobacco trade—no sweeping shift in market power or sudden disruption of the global leaf sup- ply hierarchy. The giants still dominate the stage. But in their shadow, smaller suppliers persist as they always have. They navigate regulatory hur- dles, logistical challenges, and price pressures with limited resources and outsized determination. PTPN1, Adiyaman Tobacco Coopera- tive, and International Tobacco Company Over- seas Ltd. do not seek to dethrone the industry's heavyweights. Instead, they succeed by being dif- ferent—by offering regional authenticity, flexible service, and a personal touch that mass-scale op- erations often cannot replicate. Their InterTabac booths may be modest, their volumes smaller, but their stories are rich with resilience. And perhaps it is precisely because the odds are stacked against them that they thrive. In a world of consolidation and standardization, these independent suppliers remind us that there is still room for diversity, for heritage, and for the kind of quiet excellence that doesn't need a gaudily bright spotlight to shine. The fertile fields around Adiyaman produce some of the world's best tobacco. Credit: Adiyaman Tobacco Cooperative Veteran trader Lubomir Entchev proudly presents his merchandise. Credit: Thomas Schmid

• Cover