😉 Greetings to regular and new readers! Thank you for choosing the article “Zino Davidoff: The Story of a ‘Good Life’ Seller” on this site.
Zinovy Davydov
Zusele (Zinovy) Davydov was born in 1906 in a small town in the Chernigov province. Two years later, the family moved to Kiev. The head of the family opened a small shop where he sold tobacco. He constantly experimented with mixing different varieties of tobacco. In this work, all household members provided all possible assistance.
In 1911 the family moved to the capital of Switzerland. Here Davydov changed his last name to Davidoff. He opened a store selling tobacco of various varieties, including mixed to the taste of the owner of the establishment.
From the age of 6, Zinovy began to help his father. He learned to roll cigarettes and stir tobacco. At the age of 18, his father sent him to South America to thoroughly study the technology of growing tobacco, drying and processing.
The young man conscientiously carried out all the orders of his father. He visited several countries including Cuba. With great attention he studied all the features and nuances of the production of tobacco products.
Soon Zinovy began a large-scale purchase of tobacco. Given his knowledge of this industry, all tobacco manufacturers in the country entrusted him with the purchase.
According to legend, Zino was the first European in Havana to smoke a Cuban cigar. This made a strong impression on him, and he thought about how to transport the cigars to his father. The journey across the ocean took months. Cigars are delicate goods, during this time they could lose their unique taste.
After several days of deliberation, Zino found a solution. You need to put cigars in a wooden box, placing a hygrometer inside. The meter will display the humidity level. So the humidor was invented – a box for transporting and storing cigars.
The history of the Davidoff brand
Being a fairly good specialist in the tobacco business, Zinovy, returning to Geneva, intended to open his own business. But his father refused to help him, believing that you need to start any business yourself from scratch. Zinovy could not even take out a bank loan: his father was not going to mortgage his store.
But he found an excellent way out of the created, seemingly dead-end, situation. He proposed to Martha Meer, the daughter of a successful merchant. Her dowry was spent on purchasing a store. The husband and wife worked together, not knowing the rest.
Martha left the store only when it was time for the delivery. From the age of five, my daughter also provided assistance to her parents. But soon she was diagnosed with a strong allergy to tobacco products.
In 1939 Zinovy bought cigars in bulk from all European countries. The supplies from the American continent stopped and Zino Davidoff became a monopoly. He made a huge fortune in this business.
In 1946, the businessman signed an agreement with the producers of the French Chateau wines to use the names for the cigars. Cigars made from a mixture of tobacco according to his recipe were named after him.
In Cuba, an entrepreneur owned a factory where cigars were made by hand. Later, the equipment of the factory was transferred to the Dominican Republic, where the climate did not differ from the Cuban one. For advertising, the businessman used the slogan “You know what you deserve”. The product was called elite and unique, an attribute of “luxurious life”.
The “Tobacco King” strived for its products to become a reflection of a lifestyle that testifies to the refined taste of customers. His cigars were purchased by: M. Dietrich, A. Delon, Louis de Funes, Rothschilds, J. Nicholson, Onassis and others.
Subsequently, 26 factories and 40 brand stores were opened in many countries of the world. The factories produced cognac and vodka. Then there were numerous accessories, coffee, perfumes, etc.
Zino Davidoff entered the history of business as a “seller of a good life”. On January 14, 1994, at the age of 87, he passed away.
😉 If you liked the article, share with your friends in social networks! Subscribe to the newsletter of articles to your email. mail. Write at the top: name and e-mail.