Pioneering Cigars in Zimbabwe

Pioneering Cigars in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is known for a few things-most notably its safaris and tumultuous history. However, a lesser-known fact about the country is that it is the largest producer of tobacco on the African continent, as well as one of the top 10 producers in the entire world, according to data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Programme and Statista.

Now while the country produced over 130 metric tonnes of tobacco in 2018, much of that was exported and local processing has remained practically non-existent. Thankfully, Shepherd Mafundikwa is hoping to change that with Mosi Oa Tunya, the country’s first hand-rolled premium cigars. After working in the US for over a decade, Shepherd decided to return home to start a business. “I wanted to create value for my family, create employment, and add something unique to the country,” he explains.

Being a pioneer in an industry with very little development in production and manufacturing - in any country, but Shepherd is willing to take the risk. “Zimbabwe has wonderful tobacco, but almost all of it is exported. By setting up here, we can develop the industry and create jobs,” adds Shepherd.

Creating jobs is definitely a huge priority for Shepherd, and it plays an important role in the operations of Mosi Oa Tunya. In making the cigars hand rolled, he says, “I wanted something unique, hand-rolling is an art that is dying out. But I also wanted to create jobs. When you look at the general economic environment, there is so much unemployment. We invest in human capital”.

Images: Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars

To ensure world class standards for the cigars, Shepherd sought out expertise from the world leader in cigar production - the Dominican Republic, to help train his team. This search, of course, was no walk in the park. “Language was a barrier, but I got lucky, the first person I spoke with was the right fit. Sometimes everything just connects,” he adds.

The tobacco for the cigars is sourced locally in Zimbabwe, while some other elements of the cigars are flown in. “The other components of the cigars come mostly from the Dominican Republic. Then Ecuador and Indonesia. We are competing on a global scale, we can’t be competitive if we don’t have the right materials. We have to be really careful before we get to a stage where we are growing our own,” says Shepherd on the long-term plan to in becoming  completely local. 

Image: Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars

As mentioned, creating employment is a huge priority forShepherd  “In Zimbabwe the unemployment rate is high. If we are going to impact say, 20 families, the downstream effect is actually going to make a difference. We’ve decided to support other small businesses in areas of printing the organs of packaging”, he says. 

But, pioneering isn’t without its challenges. Asides from the global pandemic, Zimbabwe is not exempt from a number of trade and business problems faced by many countries in Africa “African governments have to realise the potential that we have to promote and encourage entrepreneurship by citizens. We need policies that encourage smaller businesses. There are a few policies promoting free trade, but they’re just on paper. There’s a lot of bureaucracy down somewhere,” he says. 

In addition to increasing taxes and hefty shipping and customs duties, many local laws hinder the sale of their products. Some local postal services are unable to ship cigars due to laws and regulations on tobacco quantities. Many of these laws were put in place in a completely different era, not with the existence of premium cigars in mind.  “There are a lot of archaic laws around tobacco. These bottlenecks go back two centuries.” 

Another major challenge for Mosi Oa Tunya comes with being the first. “‘We have no template to follow, No one has ever made cigars in Zimbabwe. So we have to figure out the best ways to do this,” adds Shepherd. 

Images: Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars

Despite the external challenges, Mosi Oa Tunya is finding its space in the regional market, with a few distributors and cigar lovers supporting the company. They’ve built this support base though organic selling and education. As Shepherd explains, “We have created market awareness. We participate in  market days, display our cigars, and talk to people about cigars. It's really a market that needs to be developed. There is a small market for cigar smokers locally. Right now, we are looking at regional markets initially as our low-hanging fruits”.

As they work on securing the local market, they still have eyes beyond the border, and plan to cater to cigar lovers around the continent, including in countries like Kenya, Angola, and Nigeria. 

Their cigar range currently includes torpedos, robustos, and toross. They have a range of light and strong cigar flavours to cater to a range of tastes. One aspect they’re experimenting with is their flavoured cigars to provide an even more colourful smoking experience. “We find that younger smokers and women sometimes like the vanilla taste or chocolate, or even a  cherry taste. So we are working on that, to produce flavoured cigars,” adds Shepherd finally. 

Images: Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars

Mosi Oa Tunya is the local name for Victoria Falls, one of the world’s natural wonders. Loosely translated to English, it means “the smoke that thunders”. And of course, they are thundering though, paving a way for an industry that could put Zimbabwe on the global map.


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