Gudang Garam the largest cigarettes factory in Indonesia

GUDANG GARAM 1958 

Gudang Garam (lit. 'salt warehouse') was founded on 26 June 1958 and it is salutary to reflect that one of most successful tobacco companies in Indonesia today should have been started less than fifty years ago and by a man of such humble origins as Tjoa Ing Hwie.

In his late twenties, Ing Hwie got his big break when his uncle offered him a job working with tobacco and sauce at his kretek factory Cap 93. Cap 93 was one of the most famous kretek brands in East Java. Hard work and diligence was soon rewarded by promotion to Head of Tobacco and Sauce and eventually led to Ing Hwie becoming a company director.

Ing Hwie left Cap 93 in 1956 taking fifty employees with him. He immediately started buying land and raw materials in Kediri and soon after began producing his own klobot kretek which he marketed under the brand name Inghwie. Two years later Ing Hwie re-named and registered his company as Pabrik Rokok Tjap Gudang Garam and a legend was born.

The story behind the name 'Gudang Garam' deserves a special mention. One night, Ing Hwie had a dream in which the old salt warehouse which stood across the way from Cap 93 featured prominently. Subsequently, Sarman, one of the original fifty employees who had followed Ing Hwie when he left Cap 93, advice Ing Hwie to put a picture of the warehouse on every packet of his kretek to secure good fortune. Ing Hwie thought this was a good idea and asked Sarman to design the logo.

Gudang Garam grow rapidly and by the end of 1958 it had five hundred employees producing over fifty million kretek annualy.

By 1966, after only eight years in production, Gudang Garam had grown to be the largest kretek factory in Indonesia with an annual production of 472 million sticks.

By 1969, Gudang Garam was producing 864 million sticks a year and was indisputably the largest kretek producer in Indonesia.

In 1979 Ing Hwie completely renovated Gudang Garam's production system, ordered thrity rolling machines and developed a new formula for his machine-made kretek.

Despite being a relative latecomer to the game of kretek, Gudang Garam was now clearly the largest producer of kretek in Indonesia and one of the top ten largest cigarette manufacturers in the world.

What of Gudang Garam Clove Cigarettes Product list? 

Gudang Garam International (Filtered)

Gudang Garam Professional (Filtered)

Gudang Garam Surya (Filtered)

Gudang Garam Signature (Filtered)

Gudang Garam Signature Lights (Filtered)

Gudang Garam Signature Menthol (Filtered)

Gudang Garam Merah (Unfiltered)

Gudang Garam Nusantara (Filtered)

GUDANG GARAM INTERNATIONAL FILTER

Gudang Garam International is an Indonesian original kretek brand, first marketed on November 3rd, 1979 in Kediri, East Java. The long accomplishment in kretek industry are marked by a number of achievements, among others are being the 2nd rank in “full flavor” kretek category.

Made from high quality tobacco and clove leaves, Gudang Garam International is presented to all smokers who appreciate the art of savoring kretek. The combination of advance technology and hereditary kretek formula makes Gudang Garam International capable of offering irreplaceable smoking experience to the kretek connoisseurs.

30 Mg Tar and 1.8 Mg Nicotine. 1 carton contains 10 packs. 1 pack contains 16 cigarettes.

GUDANG GARAM SURYA CLOVE CIGARETTES

Gudang Garam Surya is the most successful premium filter cigarette in its class. The exclusive image of Surya 16 is a real reflection of excellent quality of the ingredients, expertise of blending, prestige and the art of smoking. 30 Mg Tar and 1.8 Mg Nicotine.

Gudang Garam Surya is a filter cigarette created to reflect the dynamic spirit of youth, that is full of enthusiasm and loves life‘s challenges. It is not surprising that Gudang Garam Surya 16 bearing the slogan Selera Pemberani (The Taste of Gallant) has been acknowledged as one of the prime cigarettes in Indonesia and the world. The taste of the fine blend of tobacco and clove in modern packaging is a perfect reflection of the smokers’ lifestyle.

Surya is a product of the true Indonesian spirit of enthusiasm through its perfect achievement in cigarette blend. Crafted from Indonesia’s best tobacco and finest clove, and a distinctive signature sauce, Surya brings you the ultimate richness and satisfying smoothness of Kretek Filter cigarette. Surya surely best express its unique qualities and part of today’s modern generation.

1 carton contains 10 packs. 1 pack contains 16 cigarettes

Author's comment "The Gudang Garam Surya brand has a slightly different taste to Gudang Garam Professional/International. When you first light up this cigarette, you will notice that the clove taste is rather strong compared to the other Gudang Garam variant. The crackle from the cloves burning in the cigarette is louder too as the cloves in this Gudang Garam are not as finely ground. (You can actually see some of the cloves in the cigarette itself.) About halfway through some of the cigarettes, I got a slightly unpleasent after taste, but maybe that's bad luck. Overall they are good, other than this flavour, I would recommend trying Gudang Garam International even though it's a bit more expensive."