Our business

Swedish Match manufactures snus, nicotine pouches, moist snuff, pouch products with neither nicotine nor tobacco, chew bags, tobacco bits, chewing tobacco, cigars, matches and lighters at 16 facilities; in Sweden, the US, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Brazil and Denmark.

 

Products and brands

Production is located in seven countries. Swedish Match’s largest markets for smokefree products are the US and Scandinavia.

Swedish Match quality standard

GOTHIATEK® is Swedish Match's quality standard for the Company’s snus products since year 2000. The uncompromising requirements that GOTHIATEK® imposes on our snus products are based on decades of research and development, with product safety and consumer protection as the key targets.

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FAQ

Swedish snus is world unique and has its origins from the end of the 18th Century. Unlike nasal snuff, which is inhaled through the nasal cavity, oral snuff is moist to facilitate using in the oral cavity. Our snus is made from ground tobacco and used under the upper lip, compared with American moist snuff, which is also available in grated form and placed under the lower lip. It contains selected air-dried tobacco variations, water, salt, softening agent, conservatives and flavoring.

The uniqueness of Swedish snus, manufactured by Swedish Match, is that we have very high-quality demands. We have ensured this by following our GOTHIATEK® quality standard. The distinguishing qualities are:

  • Choice of raw materials: To ensure compliance of very high demands on raw materials, a number of chemical analyses are performed during the manufacturing process. This guarantees that harmful substances are discovered in time.
  • Manufacturing: The largest fundamental difference between Swedish snus and other snuff is the preparation process itself. Swedish Match’s snus is manufactured through a proprietary developed heat-treatment process – a pasteurizing method that eliminates most of the bacteria that are naturally found in dried tobacco. The preparation occurs with full control of process conditions and process hygiene aimed at providing the snus with a longer shelf life. On the other hand, traditional American moist snuff is fermented.
  • Legislation: In Sweden, snus manufacture and its usage fall under the Food Act. Snus is therefore subject to the same control as food. The National Institute of Public Health is the supervising authority for warning texts on tobacco products and manages the ingredients reports that all tobacco manufacturers must submit annually, in accordance with applicable EU directives. Marketing and sales issues fall under the Swedish Consumer Agency.
  • Cold storage. We recommend cold storage for snus for best shelf life.
  • All snus operations within Swedish Match in Scandinavia are quality and environmentally assured in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 and 14001:2004.

 

Swedish snus is manufactured from selected tobacco varieties, various salts, flavoring and moisture-preserving substances. In Sweden, snus is legally classified as food. Only food-approved ingredients are used in snus and the manufacturing occurs in premises that are hygienically suitable for food production.

Swedish snus includes mainly the following ingredients:

  • Cooking salt – gives taste and has a preserving effect
  • Sodium carbonate – a basic pH-regulating agent that transforms into bicarbonate in snus. 
  • Food-approved moisture-preserving substances such as glycerol and propylene glycol 
  • Flavoring – gives the various brands their specific character.

We add a variety of flavors and aromas to snus, like licorice, lemon oil, and rose oil. These are all approved food additives by the Swedish National Food Administration (like the USFDA) and follow the Swedish Match Ingredients Policy. However, the exact recipes are business secrets, of course.

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