For years, it appeared as if the future of pipe tobacco was in question. Less people were engaging in the onetime traditional enjoyment of pipe smoking. Then in 2015, the pipe tobacco industry showed one of its strongest years in quite a while.
According to Kelly Michols, President of Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane and President of the Pipe Tobacco Council, in an article in Smokeshop Magazine in December 2015, “This resurgence is long overdue. Traditional pipe tobacco is a true art form, and it would be a tragedy for it to become a dying art. That’s why we are committed to continuing to grow this important industry.”
The signs of a resurgence in 2015 showed that young adult smokers often referred to as millennials (25 years old and above) were engaging in pipe smoking. Michols went on to say, “What drives the millennial consumer is being able to personalize things, being able to talk about things, and to be associated with products that are not part of big brands,” said Michols. “Pipe tobacco fits all those criteria.”
Leonard Wortzel, also with Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane, said, “The best way to do that is to show mass market retailers that traditional pipe tobacco is a consistent and solid profit performer and should be part of their overall portfolio. In a lot of OTP sets, they’re seeing market compression in every area except pipe tobacco. Retailers need to know they can still make margins in this area.”
As Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for Scandinavian Tobacco Group, Wortzel said, “… 65 percent of millennials like experimenting with different brands, compared to only 15 percent of traditional consumers. So the big question is, as an industry, how do we keep this trend going in the right direction? The first step is to make sure it’s available.”
“At Pipe Tobacco Council, our goal is to make sure we as an industry are being creative together in terms of what we can do to advance traditional pipe tobacco going forward,” said Michols.
Any lasting turnaround won’t happen overnight but it sure is exciting to see new customers engaging in the traditional American pleasure of pipe smoking.