The American cigar company Ashton Distributors, an internationally recognised manufacturer and supplier of premium cigars, started sales on the Russian market in August 2006, reports the Moscow-based daily Business.

Ashton products are imported by Calypso, a company set up a few months ago. Experts for the Russian tobacco market note that, despite the impressive 30 per cent growth of cigar market registered last year, distribution of Ashton in Russia is going to become a challenge, as the brand is totally unfamiliar to Russian afficionados. According to Anton Gaidukov, Calypso general director, the grand presentation of Ashton cigars is scheduled for October, when the American company’s top managers are expected to visit Russia. (vt)