After almost 180 years it is over for the cigar industry in the Kempen, the region in the northeast of Belgium and the south of North Brabant. Today the last cigar rolled off the line at Scandinavian Tobacco Group in Eersel. The last two factories in the region are closing, bringing an end to a long history.
Today is a difficult day for cigar maker Bea de Wit. She worked for almost thirty years at the machines in the factory in Eersel. She is one of the last production workers and has her last day.
“I don’t know other than that I made cigars,” she tells Broadcasting Brabant while she chases the last of the bolkknacks through the machine. “It’s so bizarre. The company felt like family. We shared a lot with each other.”
Booming business
Since 1845, billions of cigars have been made at the various factories in the Kempen. It was a booming business. Was, because in recent years there were only two left: Scandinavian Tobacco Group in Eersel and Royal Agio Cigars in Duizel. So now they close too finally the doors.
It all started for these two factories in 1904. Cigar factories were sprouting like mushrooms in the region. Late bloomer Jacques Wintermans borrowed 200 guilders from his father and started in a shed Wintermans & Zonen, the predecessor of Agio.
Jacques’ brother Harrie started his own business in 1934 in Eersel under the distinguished name Henri Wintermans. That company was taken over in 1996 by the later Scandinavian Tobacco Group, which also acquired Agio in Eersel . two years ago took over.
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