Tsuge Pipe and L.A. Poche Forge Global Strategic Partnership for the Production and Marketing of Perique Tobacco

TOKYO and SMITHFIELD, N.C., Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tsuge Pipe Company and L.A. Poche' Perique Tobacco announced a new partnership today centered on the production and marketing of the rare and unique Perique type tobacco. Production will take place in Southeast Asia and marketing will extend globally. Leveraging the history of Perique tobacco from the 18^th Century as being one of the most unique blending components used in super premium pipe tobaccos and cigars, this heritage has now been extended beyond its traditional roots in St. James Parish, Louisiana. L.A. Poche' Perique Tobacco, as the oldest fully licensed and certified producer of Perique in the United States, will now be lending its proprietary processes and experience to Tsuge Pipe Company for extending and expanding the production of this incredibly versatile and complex artisan product. The new Perique production will take place at Tsuge Lao Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tsuge Pipe located in southern Laos. A newly chosen product brand name will be "Tsuge Poche Perique" or "TPP" and will be offered for sale globally. The new venture is intended to expand the availability of Perique tobacco to markets in Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.

"This is an exciting extension of the Perique story and a significant additional way of preserving this traditional product's long history beyond our facility in Convent, Louisiana," said Mark S. Ryan, owner of L.A. Poche' Perique Tobacco of Smithfield, North Carolina who will also be providing technical support and proprietary process instructions to the new venture. L.A. Poche' Perique Tobacco will also continue production of Perique tobacco from Louisiana for their traditional customers. 

Sab Tsuge, Chief Executive Officer of Tsuge Pipe Company in Tokyo, said "The partnership with Mark Ryan represents a significant step in our ongoing goal of producing only the highest quality and most unique products in our industry. We are very proud to move into this new production process, which is consistent in quality with our other product lines, particularly our artisan handmade smoking pipes." From the Tsuge Pipe side, Hiro Mitsui, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Brad Abrams, Director of Research and Development will work with Mark Ryan to ensure that all details surrounding this demanding process are followed precisely. "We have been testing and developing the necessary techniques at our facility in Laos over the last two years. We feel we are now fully ready to enter the global market with this rare and unique product", said Hiro Mitsui, President of Tsuge Pipe. 

About Tsuge Pipe

Tsuge Pipe Company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, produces the finest line of artisan handmade smoking pipes which are marketed worldwide. In addition, Tsuge Pipe produces numerous high quality tobacco smoking products at its facility in southern Laos which are sold throughout Japan and in other Asian markets. Tsuge Pipe Company is a well-known historically centered Japanese family business. For more information, please contact [email protected] .

About L.A. Poche

L.A. Poche' Perique Tobacco, headquartered in Smithfield, North Carolina, produces the rare Perique tobacco at its facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Following hundreds of years of Perique history, L.A. Poche' Perique Tobacco continues to be the oldest fully licensed and certified producer in the United States. The Perique tobacco from this facility is marketed primarily in the United States, the European Union, and Central America. For more information, please contact [email protected] .

SOURCE Tsuge Pipe Company Limited