新湖畔网 （随信APP) | 在莫桑比克，雪茄100%由非洲制造

在马普托的一个小霓虹灯照明的工厂里，十几名工人正在手工卷制高档雪茄，目标是全球市场，似乎并不受浓烈的烟草味影响。

格森德·兰伯格

坐在木凳上，男人和女人用一只手叠放烟叶 - 这些组成部分必须是干燥但柔软的，就像皮革的丝绒质地。

一个在喀麦隆制作的大包叶，以其精致的表面而闻名，被撕成两半，然后卷在雪茄周围，成为最后一层。

“很少有人知道非洲的雪茄”，一些雪茄是在莫桑比克生产的，尤金娜·穆艾开心地说。现年38岁的她自公司成立八年以来一直在博加尼雪茄公司工作。

烟草主要在莫桑比克制造，但有些产品来自多米尼加共和国，这是雪茄爱好者的关键生产国。

安东尼·帕迪利亚·佩雷斯经营这家工作室，在一个生长着烟草生产者家庭的加勒比国家长大。

“每片叶子都有其功能：它的燃烧质量，其强度和气味，”现年38岁的他说，留着光头和修剪好的山羊胡。

烟草卷制并涂上包装后，工人剪掉雪茄的每一端至所需大小，并将其放入模具至少24小时，以获得所需的形状。

最后一步是处理顶部，使用小块切割的烟草片将其制成圆形，并用一滴植物胶粘在一起。

- 冒险的一招 -

“莫桑比克这里有需要填补的空白，那里的气候和土壤非常适合优质烟草生产，”佩雷斯说。

一只非洲雪茄，“让消费者惊喜”，他说，“让人们对品牌产生好奇”，这在祖鲁语中翻译为“感谢”。

创始人卡玛尔·穆克黑伯可能是在“某个醉酒之夜”得到了这个想法，他开玩笑说，在马普托一个咖啡馆里进行商务访问时。

“我和一些朋友在一起，看到人们在抽雪茄。我想：为什么没有非洲的雪茄呢？”

“通常，原材料在非洲制造，然后运往其他地方重新包装和重新打包，”穆克黑伯说，就像咖啡或巧克力一样，使大陆丧失了急需资源。

现年55岁的黎巴嫩人在伦敦从事金融工作，自称“从未生产过任何东西”，经过深入研究后，才推出了这家公司，尝试了些新事物。

他的第一款博加尼雪茄于2016年在莫桑比克的一家商店出售。他现在雇用了十几人，每月生产1万至1.2万支雪茄。

大约三分之一的雪茄运往非洲各地，其中莫桑比克和南非是最大的市场，但它们也可以在线购买。

另外三分之一销往美国，最后三分之一销往欧洲，在欧洲备受黑人消费者欢迎，穆克黑伯说。

每支售价13美元的雪茄型号都必须制作得完美，“否则你就没有生意可做”，这位企业家说，他在竞争激烈的行业中周游世界推广自己的品牌。

A large wrapper leaf made in Cameroon and recognizable by its delicate finish is torn in half before being rolled around the cigar, its last layer - Copyright AFP/File Nic COURY

Gersende RAMBOURG

In a small neon-lit factory in Maputo, a dozen workers are hand-rolling premium cigars intended for the global market, seemingly undisturbed by the pungent tobacco smell. 

Sitting at wooden benches, men and women stack tobacco leaves in one hand –- the components must be dry but soft, like the velvety texture of leather.

A large wrapper leaf made in Cameroon and recognizable by its delicate finish is torn in half before being rolled around the cigar, its last layer.

“Not many people know about African cigars” and that some are produced in Mozambique, said Eugenia Mauaie, with a proud smile. The 38-year-old has been working at Bongani Cigars since the company was founded eight years ago. 

The tobacco is mainly made in Mozambique, but for some products it comes from the Dominican Republic, a key producer for cigar aficionados. 

Anthony Padilla Perez, who runs the workshop, grew up in the Caribbean nation in a family of tobacco producers.

“Each leaf has a function: its burning quality, its strength and its smell,” said the 38-year-old, sporting a shaved head and trimmed goatee. 

Once the tobacco is rolled and a wrapper applied, a worker cuts each end of the cigar to the required size and places it in a mold for at least 24 hours to get the desired shape. 

The last step is finishing the tip, which is made round with small pieces of tobacco cut and stuck together with a drop of vegetable gum.

– Adventurous bet –

“There was a gap to fill here in Mozambique, where the climate and soil are great for quality tobacco production,” said Perez. 

An African cigar, “surprises consumers” he said, and “makes people curious” about the brand, which translates to “be grateful” in Zulu. 

The founder, Kamal Moukheiber, got the idea “probably one drunken night”, he joked, in a cafe in Maputo where he was on a business visit.

“I was with some friends and I saw people smoking cigars. And I wondered: why are there no African cigars?”

“Often, raw materials are produced in Africa and shipped elsewhere to be repackaged and rebranded,” said Moukheiber, like coffee or chocolate, depriving the continent of much-needed resources.

The 55-year-old Lebanese who used to work in finance in London and had “never produced anything”, launched the company after thorough research, to try something new.

His first Bongani cigars were sold in a shop in Mozambique in 2016. He now employs a dozen people and manufactures 10,000 to 12,000 cigars per month.

About a third of the cigars are shipped across Africa, with Mozambique and South Africa its largest markets, but they are also available online.

Another third is sold in the United States and the last third in Europe, where they are popular among black consumers, Moukheiber said.

Priced at 13 dollars a piece, each model has to be perfectly crafted, “otherwise you don’t have a business”, said the entrepreneur, who travels the world to market his brand in a competitive industry.