The fair and our stand
What we showed
We showed Pakistani leaf in its main forms: loose and whole leaf, hand-stemmed and machine-stemmed tobacco. Visitors included buyers, distributors and manufacturers from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Why we went
- A trade fair puts us in front of manufacturers and importers who would not find us through a web search.
- It supports our European base in Oudenaarde, which coordinates sales for international buyers.
- Buyers can handle the leaf and talk specifications face to face, which is worth more than any photograph.
If we met in Dortmund, or you would like to pick up the conversation, send us your specification.
About the fair
InterTabac is a long-running international trade fair for tobacco products and smoking accessories, held in Dortmund, Germany. It brings together manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers from many countries, and the exhibitors range from large companies to small specialists. For a leaf exporter, it is a place to meet manufacturers, brokers and importers in one week.
What we showed and why
We presented our main forms: whole and loose leaf, hand-stemmed and machine-stemmed tobacco. At a fair, leaf you can handle is a much better conversation starter than a price list, because a buyer can judge colour, size and smell directly.
For buyers at trade fairs
What buyers usually ask at a trade fair
In general, leaf buyers at a fair want to settle a few practical points quickly: whether a grade is close to their nicotine and sugar target, what the packing and minimum quantity are, what documents come with a shipment, and whether a sample is possible. Those are also the questions this site is organised around. The difference between hand- and machine-stemmed leaf comes up often, which is why we wrote the hand-stemmed and machine-stemmed pages.
If you met us there
Please send us your specification and mention that we met in Dortmund, so we can find the earlier conversation. If you did not attend, the pages on this site cover the same ground.
How to get the most from a trade fair as a buyer
If you are planning to visit a fair such as InterTabac to meet leaf suppliers, a few steps make the visit productive:
- Write a short specification of what you want to buy, with numbers, before you go.
- Bring a reference sample of the leaf you use now, if your rules allow.
- Make a list of suppliers and book meetings in advance, since the busiest stands fill up.
- Ask each supplier the same questions, so that you can compare answers.
- Take notes, with the name of the person and the lot discussed.
- Follow up within days, in writing, with your specification and a request for a sample.
What a stand cannot tell you
A stand shows you the best face of a supplier. It cannot show you a full lot, its documents or its record of delivery. Treat a fair as the start of the process, not the end: the checks described on our about page still apply, whoever you meet.
Photos and video from our lots
Pictures and clips of leaf we handle. For current photographs or video of a specific lot, ask us. The full sets are on the gallery and videos pages.
