“Currently, BIN Cigar holds 24 trademarks and exports to 15 countries, annually exporting 100-200 tons of tobacco,” Febri added. Achieving such success was not easy, and making Jember’s cigars known worldwide has been a significant accomplishment. Each tobacco leaf, for instance, “takes about three years from harvest to become a cigar, involving 600 human touches,” said Febri.
In the past, the factory was the center of tobacco development for the people, known as Besuki Na-Oogst (BNO), where only 10% of the tobacco reached wrapper quality. Every step in the process is manual, relying on human labor rather than machines.
To achieve the taste and aroma of cigars like those from Cuba, BIN Cigar has established a legal agreement with Cuba. “We are anti-fake; we were taught by Cubans how to achieve this. The agreement with Cuba is solely to replicate taste, not shape or brand,” Febri explained.
The Global Impact of Jember Cigars
It’s no surprise, then, that BIN Cigar has become a significant player in the global cigar industry, ranking second only to Cuba. For cigar enthusiasts, if they cannot find the aroma and flavor of Cohiba and Montecristo from Cuba, they will likely turn to BIN Cigar.
Jember’s rise in the cigar industry is a testament to the dedication and skill involved in producing these high-quality products. With a blend of Indonesian tradition and Cuban expertise, Jember cigars have carved out a niche in the world market, offering connoisseurs an alternative that rivals the best Cuban offerings.
Jember’s World-Class Cigars
The distinct aroma of tobacco fills the air as one enters the factory of Boss Image Nusantara (BIN) Cigar in Jember. The warm temperature provided by the briquettes in the numerous stoves in every corner is crucial for preparing each tobacco leaf destined to become the wrapper for a cigar.
“What we see now is the process of opening fermentation. There will be another fermentation stage that lasts about 2 weeks to a month. After that, we move to the sizing stage, followed by sorting to separate the defective ones by base color, quality, and detail,” explains Febri Ananta Kahar, CEO of BIN Cigar.
Febri further elaborates that the factory, once a center for the development of local tobacco known as Besuki Na-Oogst (BNO), only achieves a 10% wrapper quality. All production processes rely heavily on manual labor, which cannot be replaced by machines.
