Wilshire Marketing BV will become the exclusive distributor of Goodrich Tobacco Company’s ultra low nicotine Dutch Magic brand in the Benelux countries, said parent company 22nd Century Group.
Dutch Magic cigarettes contain 95 per cent less nicotine than most ultra light and light cigarettes, making it a candidate as a modified risk tobacco product, the company said. The Dutch Magic brand consists of two varieties of cigarette and two roll-your-own products.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg will be the first countries in which Dutch Magic products will be sold. Goodrich Tobacco will ship an initial order of 450,000 packs to Wiltshire in July, 22nd Group said. Additional licensing agreements are expected in the coming months, the company said.
22nd Century is a US plant biotechnology company whose proprietary technology allows for the level of nicotine and other nicotinic alkaloids like nornicotine, anatabine and anabasine in the tobacco plant to be decreased or increased through genetic engineering and plant breeding, the company said. Goodrich Tobacco and Hercules Pharmaceuticals, maker of a smoking cessation aid, are wholly owned group subsidiaries. (ci)