[2010] 1960s WORK
0164 Gallahers Tobacco Production
Although the production processes used in Gallahers came from earlier times, and looked crude, pipe tobacco production was probably the most skilled of all the manufacturing operations within Gallahers. It was carried out in Gallahers’ York Street factory in Belfast, which was an old multi-storey building. In the case of many of the pipe tobaccos - which involved very small production runs - the tobacco was mixed by hand, literally on the floor. A range of techniques were used; mixtures for example were made in exactly the same way as rag was for cigarettes; though the strands were much thicker. They tended to include heavily fired (smoked) tobacco, especially Latakia which was very strong indeed. They were then weighed by hand and put into tins which were vacuum sealed. The ‘navy’ tobacco was made by a totally different process. Although it was pressed, this was done by binding it with rope in a cylinder; again by hand in combination with a machine which looked rather like a lathe. It was then sliced, as Escudo Tobacco, and was again vacuum packed into tins.
The main difference in tobacco production, though, was that the big selling tobaccos were pressed. Thus they were cut coarsely and made up into a slab, with whole leaves at top and bottom to provide a binder which held the block together when it was sliced. They were then put into a press which applied pressure and heat. What came out was a solid block of material. This was sliced into very thin slices and -- for the more expensive products -- once more put into vacuum sealed tins. For our big sellers, especially Condor, the slices were hand packed in foil and put in cardboard boxes.
Another difference in their formulation, from those used in cigarettes, was that the tobacco was heavily flavoured. In those days coumarin was used as the main ingredient of flavour -- though we had change this when it was found to be especially carcinogenic! This was, though, less of a problem than that for another manufacturer for, when it modernised its factory, it found the flavour had changed. After much research they found that the problem was the new toilets they had provided - for the first time - for their workers. Previously the workers had urinated against the outside wall, and this - leaking through the brickwork to the blending floor behind - was what had given the unique flavour!
Cigarettes, on the other hand, had no additions -- despite what the public thought -- the only exception being Park Drive which sold in the northern part of Britain, where flavouring was put in. Indeed, by the time I left, the cigarettes all used exactly the same blend. The difference between the different brands was made by the filters that we used!
Our main pipe tobacco brand, Condor, was made from cheap tobacco, and hence was very strong -- but that was what its smokers wanted. Over time, though, we lightened the blend so it appealed to a wider group of smokers. This was achieved partly by using a lighter blend of tobacco -- essentially containing less fired tobacco -- and also not pressing for as long; all of which also helped to reduce the cost. We also discovered that we could remove the bottom binder leaves, which were more expensive, without degrading the product.
I was fascinated by the production processes, as I always have been, and visited the factories regularly. Ultimately, in any case, our group was responsible for production as well as marketing. This was the specific responsibility of Roy Ingram, who was from Rhodesia and previously had been a tobacco farmer. He was a lovely guy, with whom I was very friendly. On the other hand, I couldn't persuade him that his man management methods were unsuitable for modern times. He believed, quite literally, that the only way to get his black workers to work harder was to wander around the fields carrying a bullwhip and using it! Even so, I liked Roy a lot and was sorry when he went back to Rhodesia - after UDI – to sell their tobacco crop. I suspect he probably became a millionaire as a result!
We were always trying new blends, and I was constantly having pipe tobacco put in front of me which the blenders thought was better. By that stage I had taken up tobacco smoking, as a necessity for the job -- though it took me some time to get to it and I was very sick the first time I tried it. Anyway, I used to have two blends I smoked myself. One was an export blend. It was very expensive and was not available in United Kingdom. The other was my ideal. I simply asked the blenders in the laboratory to produce the best possible tobacco regardless of cost. They did this, spending several thousand pounds in the process -- since it had to be produced as a full 14 lb cake of the product. This was the one I carried around with me. It was a delight to go to the Pipeman of the Year lunch and offer this around to my competitors. They all recognised the quality and said “...where can I buy this”, only to have me say “...sorry it is my own private blend”!
We also produced chewing tobacco which was bar or twist tobacco, but this was very old-fashioned and sales were dying as the users literally died out
Finally we also produced snuff, which was simply finely ground tobacco powder. I was accordingly a member of the 'Snuff, Grinders, Blenders and Purveyors Society' -- which sounded very ancient but had only been formed, as a PR stunt by the industry, three years before!
As you will gather, as part of my job as brand manager, I had to be able to understand all these processes, which I found not just a challenge of the job but actually rather intellectually fulfilling!
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