Swisher International and Drew Estate Push For Expansion in Asia

As part of a plan to expand their presence in Asia, Swisher International Inc. and Drew Estate Tobacco Company announced today that they have appointed Asia Marketing Services (AMS) of Taipei, Taiwan, led by Hans Rijfkogel, as an independent sales representative for the Asian domestic and duty-free market.

“The international marketplace holds tremendous growth opportunities for Swisher and Drew Estate,” according to Alex Goldman, Vice President of International Business Development for Swisher International via a press release. “As the two companies have been able to combine resources in specific geographies following the acquisition of Drew Estate last year, we have seen an almost immediate increase in the number of retailers carrying our brands and the number of consumers smoking our product.”

Established in Taipei in 2013, Asia Marketing Services (AMS) has been successfully marketing and promoting imported tobacco products of the highest quality throughout Asia. Asia Marketing Services will represent Swisher and Drew Estate in the following domestic and duty-free markets: China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan (Swisher only), Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and India.

“When I started AMS the goal was to build solid relationships with a small group of prominent manufacturers in order to represent a well rounded portfolio of quality products,” Rijfkogel said. “Adding both Swisher International and Drew Estate to our mix has allowed us to reach that goal. I am excited to be a part of the Swisher/Drew Estate family and look forward to great success in the future.”

Joe Augustus, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs, added that “the Asian region has been a growing market for Swisher for several years, and we have set some ambitious goals for its growth. With the addition of the Drew Estate portfolio of products, it made sense to add a resource located in the region to better service our customers, and keep them informed of our growing product mix. With over 20 years of selling experience in the region, we feel Hans and his team are the perfect representatives to help further our goals.”