African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 392: Chapter 69: Golden Leaf

February 3, 1872.

Zimbabwe, Harare.

Ernst led the command staff to the front line, and while passing through Zimbabwe’s former capital, Harare, he happened to see the tobacco planted in the fields, lush and vibrant, exuding vitality.

Ernst had been on the move these days, so he planned to rest here and inspect the construction work in the Zimbabwe region.

The mayor of Harare Town, Leaka, respectfully introduced, ”Your Highness, this is the tobacco plantation area planned by the Heixinggen Tobacco Company in Zimbabwe this year. We have expanded the planting scale in various regions of Zimbabwe this year, and by then, the production base of Heixinggen Tobacco will also be relocated entirely from northern East Africa to Zambia and Zimbabwe, especially Zimbabwe, specifically for high-end tobacco production.”

Seeing his policy being well implemented, Ernst was very pleased, as Zimbabwe’s most famous crop, tobacco, certainly topped the list.

In the past life, Zimbabwe was a major tobacco exporting country in the world. Zimbabweans once said, ”Tobacco is to Zimbabwe what gold is to South Africa—if Johannesburg is a capital built on gold mines, then Harare is certainly basking in the glory of tobacco.”

Ernst knew that Zimbabwean tobacco leaves were not unusual, because in his previous life he had met a friend from the Far East Tobacco Company while on a business trip to Zimbabwe.

Ernst found it hard to understand the Far East Tobacco Company’s bidding for tobacco in Zimbabwe because he always thought of the Far East as a large tobacco-producing nation. Why would they need to import such things?

The most outrageous thing was not the imports, but that Zimbabwean tobacco needed to be auctioned. At the Harare tobacco auctions, countries bid against each other, with the highest bidder winning.

It was only through the introduction of a Far East Tobacco Company employee that Ernst learned why Zimbabwean tobacco was so sought after and even required auctioning.

Firstly, it is the quality. Zimbabwean tobacco leaves boast a strong aroma and high maturity, making them a prime example of high-quality tobacco leaves worldwide. They feature a mellow aroma, unique burnt-sweet taste, moderate strength, and mild stimulation. Apart from their exceptional flavor, Zimbabwe’s flue-cured tobacco leaves are also famous worldwide for their low chemical residue and relative healthiness.

High quality and low production wouldn’t work either, but Zimbabwe is located between latitudes 15 degrees 33 minutes and 22 degrees 24 minutes south, and the annual rainfall ranges between six hundred and eight hundred millimeters, with nearly sixty percent of the rainfall concentrated during the tobacco growing season, providing the most suitable weather for high-quality tobacco leaf growth with irreplicable sunshine, dew, and climate optimal for flue-cured tobacco.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe possesses unique granite sandy loam tobacco fields within the same latitude globally, making it especially suitable for tobacco crop cultivation. This has earned Zimbabwe the reputation of being the world’s ”Golden Tobacco Field,” with the tobacco leaves it produces possessing a soft, golden-yellow hue, also known as ”Golden Tobacco Leaves,” which are a primary ingredient used in upscale cigarettes.

Given how good Zimbabwean tobacco leaves are, why do so few people know about it! When it comes to cigars, everyone thinks of Cuba, but in the field of flue-cured tobacco, Zimbabwean Golden Leaves have a status comparable to Cuban cigars, especially since the majority of smokers in the world’s largest flue-cured tobacco consumer country probably haven’t heard of them.

In fact, the Far East was the largest importer of Zimbabwean tobacco leaves in the previous life. For all premium cigarettes sold in the Far East countries, besides using tobacco from the Yunnan region, only Zimbabwe’s premium tobacco leaves were selected as the raw material base, which means the cigarette in your hand likely contains a blend of Zimbabwean tobacco strands.

In the past life, Zimbabwean tobacco was introduced from the United States. Even in the worst years of relations between the two countries, almost all premium American brand cigarettes had to incorporate a certain proportion of Zimbabwean tobacco strands, as this kind of high-end tobacco strand with a unique burnt-sweet aroma was a guarantee of quality and sophistication.

Zimbabwean tobacco leaves boast excellent quality and high price, and even in the high-end cigarette consumption markets of Europe, America, and China, Zimbabwean tobacco strands can only be blended in at a ratio rather than being used 100% due to their high value, showing the significance of Zimbabwean tobacco leaves worldwide.

However, none of these advantages was why the Heixinggen Tobacco Company chose Zimbabwe for large-scale tobacco cultivation. Originally, the tobacco planting areas in northern East Africa were sufficient to ensure tobacco supply.

Yet under the East African migration policy, Ernst intended to accelerate this process, thus facilitating the migration of some agricultural populations inland, with tobacco planters being the first batch.

Ernst certainly knew the benefits of tobacco production in Zimbabwe, but no matter how great the previous claims were, it was no help that it was Zimbabwe’s first time planting tobacco this year, and no one knew how the finished product would turn out. However, the result should not differ too much. After the technical survey by the Heixinggen Tobacco Company’s personnel, they also acknowledged that Zimbabwe was more suitable for tobacco cultivation compared to other regions in East Africa. After a bountiful harvest here, even the lowest quality tobacco would be above the world average level, and with a few more years of selective breeding and cultivation, it could fully reach the highest grade in world tobacco.

With this thought, Ernst suddenly had an idea. He told Mayor Leaka of Harare Town: ”This year, you smoke farmers here have to work a little harder. If you encounter any difficulties, talk to the government. If you lack labor, apply for more slaves. Harare is the tobacco cultivation base now and for the future of the East African kingdom, and I plan to set up a tobacco factory here in the future to create a Harare tobacco brand, so make sure tobacco planting is prioritized.”

Upon hearing the arrangement from the crown prince, Leaka quickly said, ”Your Highness, rest assured, I will ensure that tobacco cultivation in the Harare region is the top priority for all residents of Harare Town.”

Very good, setting up a tobacco company in East Africa was wholly due to Ernst’s quirky taste, mainly borrowing the name from the local cigarette brand ”Golden Leaf” from the previous life in Henan as the trademark for the new product.

Zimbabwean tobacco leaves are called ”Golden Tobacco Leaves,” also translatable as Zimbabwe’s ”Golden Leaf,” isn’t that a coincidence! Moreover, Golden Leaf does not carry any geographical implications, directly indicating the quality of Zimbabwean tobacco leaves.

If paired with a gold-plated label, launching it into the market would definitely be eye-catching. Ernst planned to position Zimbabwe-produced ”Golden Leaf” as a mid-to-high-end product, launching it to East Africa and Europe.

This could also separate it from the current low-end cigarette market of Heixinggen Tobacco Company. Previously, Heixinggen Tobacco Company’s supply sources came from countries like the Netherlands, so the overall cigarette quality and taste weren’t very high. Producing mid-to-high-end products would require higher costs to purchase slightly better quality tobacco leaves at higher prices.

Once the East African tobacco fields gradually opened up and harvested, this situation greatly improved, though the reputation had not recovered yet, which was the reason for leveraging the convenience of industrial production to lower cigarette prices, seizing a large share of the market from traditional tobacco merchants, mainly targeting low-income consumer groups like the military, workers, and farmers.

Now, the tobacco production in East Africa was sufficient. Maintaining the price advantage of those inexpensive cigarette brands under the Heixinggen Tobacco Company wasn’t an issue, and Zimbabwean tobacco leaves could be added to enhance the flavor. Once East Africa’s ”Golden Leaves” were in production, the mid-to-high-end market would also have a place for Heixinggen Tobacco Company.