1st-nation cigarettes voted Top Tobacco Launch of 2007 by The Grocer
Ethical shoppers were the target for this year’s most innovative entry into the tobacco category. 1st Nation is the creation of a native Mohawk American, and the brand is manufactured by Mohawk natives on a US reservation using tobacco grown by independent farmers in Malawi. The tobacco is purchased at a premium in order to provide funds for agricultural diversification. The company also claims the cigarettes have no artificial additives.
The brand is currently being thwarted by the refusal of the Fairtrade Foundation to award it official Fairtrade accreditation.
“We do not have standards set up for tobacco products and have no plans to do so,” says a Fairtrade spokeswoman. “Therefore we cannot certify cigarette brands.”
How much this lack of an official logo will limit the brand remains to be seen but the company has pledged to fight the decision. Fairtrade has moved into the mainstream this year, away from the ‘hippy’ market. With more than 10 million UK households buying Fairtrade products, it’s a fair bet some of them are smokers and a lucrative market if the company gets its brand proposition right.
Reprinted by kind permission of The Grocer. (Copyright symbol) William Reed Business Media 2008.
1st-nation is delighted to have received this commendation by the Grocer.
Although the Grocer recognises that 1st-nation is not currently formally accredited by the Fairtrade Foundation it appreciates the potential appeal of fair trade cigarettes to smokers who are supportive of ethical sourcing of products. The 1st-nation Company is committed to supporting independent farmers in Malawi by paying a premium for the tobacco grown by them. The premium is invested in agricultural support projects that will help the farmers diversify into more profitable and ecologically sustainable crops.
The launch of 1st-nation cigarettes has the objective of also supporting native Mohawks who are dependent on manufacturing within their reservation for a viable income. The Company believes that some smokers would like the opportunity to buy a fair trade cigarette brand, and will continue to campaign for official certification.