Davidoff#History
Zino Davidoff, maiden name Sussele - Meier Davidoff, ( born March 11, 1906 in Novgorod - Seversky, Russian Empire, † 14 January 1994 in Geneva ) was a Ukrainian- Swiss entrepreneur.
Life
The Davidoff family moved in 1911 because of anti-Jewish pogroms from Kiev to Geneva, where his father, Henri Davidoff, a tobacco shop opened, which was the meeting place of the Russian community in Geneva. The young Zino learned the mixing of cigarettes and pipe tobacco, felt however early a cosmopolitan tendency, and came on an extended trip through the tobacco countries of Central and South America and Cuba. There, he acquired knowledge of the manufacture of cigars. After his return, he expanded his parents shop in Geneva to this product, the knotted in Cuba contacts proved to be very valuable. In addition, he developed after his trip to the humidor. Davidoff became the best address for cigars of town where even were to be had during the Second World War, Havana. Shortly before the capture of Paris by the Germans, he had acquired a stored there stock of around two million of Havana.
After the war, the 40 -year-old Davidoff finally got the idea to purchase the production license for an in-house Havana series. With regard to a discerning international clientele he named each format sonorous for exclusive Bordeaux wineries. The first was in 1946, the Château Latour. As another series of the famous Dom Pérignon and Thousands emerged. 1967 Zino Davidoff joined with the state's Cuban cigar company Cubatabaco a contract under which the Cubans produced an exclusive cigar under the name Davidoff for him.
Due to the restrictions imposed by the U.S. against Cuba economic embargo Davidoff tried together with Ernst Schneider mid-1970s, to (re) open up this market for itself. So he decided to produce in Honduras, using local and American tobaccos Zino brand that successfully sold after some time and is still one of the best selling brands.
1970 Zino Davidoff sold his company to the Basel company Oettinger Imex AG, however, without really retire. He became a global ambassador for the brand Davidoff. With the slogan written Zino Davidoff 1967 " Cigar breviary or What the connoisseur smokes " a kind of philosophy for cigar aficionados.
When working with Cubatabaco 1989 ended with a scandal (Cuba gave no more tobacco Davidoff, the then Cuban cigars worth three million dollars publicly burned ), were moved to the production in March 1990 in the Dominican Republic and even brought a few years later out the following series: " Aniversario ", "Classic ", " Mille ", " Grand Cru ", " Special" and " Millennium Blend ".
The quality control of Davidoff cigars takes place in several stages: After three quality check in the manufactory products are subject to an additional final inspection before the cigars are shipped to the distribution centers in Weil am Rhein, and Stanford (Connecticut). There they are additionally evaluated during the assembly and delivered in connection to the authorized dealers.
Davidoff is the only cigar manufacturer who makes written arrangements for the presentation and handling of the goods with the traders.
In 2005 there were 53 Davidoff shops and nearly 500 dealers worldwide. Davidoff is the best-selling brand of the Oettinger Imex AG, which holds the tobacco and tobacco accessories brand rights off the cigarettes, dar. Under the brand Davidoff sells to the company and cigars and cigarillos and corresponding accessories.
The products sold under the same brand cigarettes come from the Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH.
In addition, in Fribourg resident and co-founded in 1980 by Zino Davidoff Zino Davidoff SA distributes under the brand Davidoff luxury accessories such as watches, leather products, pens, perfumes ( " Cool Water " (1988), "Adventure" ) and coffee. Zino Davidoff SA is a Oettinger Imex AG and of the Reemtsma GmbH Cigarettenfabriken independent company which is not active in the tobacco sector.