This past week, Swisher International Inc. and Drew Estate announced the appointment of Asia Marketing Services (AMS), led by Hans Rijfkogel, as an Independent Sales Representative for the Asian Domestic and Duty-‐Free Market. The company is based in Taipei, Taiwan.
“The international marketplace holds tremendous growth opportunities for Swisher and Drew Estate. As the two companies have been able to combine resources in specific geographies following the acquisition of Drew Estate last year, we have seen an almost immediate increase in the number of retailers carrying our brands and the number of consumers smoking our product.” stated Alex Goldman, Vice President of International Business Development.
Joe Augustus, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs, added “The Asian region has been a growing market for Swisher for several years, and we have set some ambitious goals for its growth. With the addition of the Drew Estate portfolio of products, it made sense to add a resource located in the region to better service our customers, and keep them informed of our growing product mix. With over 20 years of selling experience in the region, we feel Hans and his team are the perfect representatives to help further our goals.”
Reached at AMS headquarters in the Taipei 101 Tower, Hans Rijfkogel, Director of Asia Marketing Services stated “When I started AMS the goal was to build solid relationships with a small group of prominent manufacturers in order to represent a well rounded portfolio of quality products. Adding both Swisher International and Drew Estate to our mix has allowed us to reach that goal. I am excited to be a part of the Swisher/Drew Estate family and look forward to great success in the future.”
AMS will represent both Swisher and Drew Estate in several domestic and duty-‐free markets, including China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan (Swisher only), Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and India.
About Swisher International
Swisher International, Inc. is a leading tobacco manufacturer of various filtered cigars and smokeless tobacco brands as well as a number of premium cigars through its Royal Gold Premium Cigars division. Swisher products are exported to over 80 countries. Swisher International, Inc. is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL and also has manufacturing facilities in Wheeling, WV and Santiago, Dominican Republic.
About Drew Estate Inc.
Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”TM, Drew Estate has led The “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that have attracted new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Natural by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Nirvana, Tabak Especial, UnderCrown, and Java by Drew Estate.
About Asia Marketing Services
Established in Taipei in 2013, Asia Marketing Services (AMS) has been successfully marketing and promoting imported tobacco products of the highest quality throughout Asia. AMS has developed a deep understanding of how to market and promote these products and build them into powerful brands. AMS represents Swisher, Drew Estate, Royal Agio Cigars and Flandria in the Asian domestic and duty free markets and maintains close relationships with all the major tobacco importers and Duty Free operators.
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