Villiger Söhne AG

Rooted in cigar making since Jean Villiger established a factory in Pfeffikon in 1888, Villiger Söhne AG manufactures cigars and cigarillos through both machine production and hand rolling. Its portfolio spans traditional cigars, filter and filterless cigarillos, and handmade lines. Tobacco blend development pairs filler and wrapper selection with evaluation by a dedicated panel of test smokers before launch. Throughout production, quality teams conduct sampling, measurements, incoming material inspections, and draw-resistance checks. Product characteristics are monitored at multiple stages, reflecting the natural variation of tobacco.

The Villiger Group has production capacity exceeding one billion cigars annually and employs more than 1,200 people. Manufacturing is concentrated at facilities in Pfeffikon, Waldshut-Tiengen, Bünde-Dünne, and Jember, where tobacco leaves are prepared for production in Indonesia. Handmade cigar production was added in Brazil in 2013 and expanded in 2023 with a factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Estelí operation employs more than 100 trained specialists and produces 16 brands for European, North American, and Asian markets. Distribution companies in the United States and France complement qualified importers worldwide, while Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and the United States remain key markets. The business continues as a family-run company in its fourth and fifth generations.