Davidoff Celebrates 150 Years of Cigar Excellence with Global Events and Exclusive Releases

150 years of Oettinger Davidoff AG – The History of the Company

From a small tobacco store to the global leading producer of handmade premium cigars

From Max Oettinger AG to Oettinger Davidoff AG in 150 years

1875: Max Oettinger opens his first store

Max Oettinger, a native of Bavaria, is 27 when he opens his cigar shop at Eisengasse 9 in Basel. From the “Havana House” he sells imported cigars, tobacco from the barrel, cigarette tobacco, pipes and smokers’ accessories. In 1882, he opens a branch in the nearby town of St. Ludwig (now St. Louis, France) and in 1887 starts exporting around the world. When the First World War breaks out, his company is one of Switzerland’s top three tobacco specialists.

1890: The first employment rules are issued

As his staff grows, Mr. Oettinger issues his first “employment rules”. These include instructions such as “The working day is 12 hours long”, “Employees engaging in political activity will be dismissed without notice”, and “An employee must not make mistakes; any that do will be dismissed”. The rules also recommend bible reading and suggest that female employees adopt a pious way of life. The fact that “sick employees receive no wages”, but “should be grateful to the hand which ultimately feeds them” reflects the thinking of the time.

1924: The company falls into difficulty

The First World War and its consequences drive large clients into insolvency. Max Oettinger turns his business into a limited company in order to raise new funds, but bankruptcy remains a threat. What is more, the boss falls ill and in 1924 withdraws from the business; he dies three years later. His creditors, including some tobacco producers, bring in businessman Georg Huppuch to restructure Max Oettinger AG.

1926: The second generation takes over

Huppuch sorts out Oettinger’s legacy, brings a halt to unprofitable imports, sells the retail outlets and concentrates on wholesale business. He founds the General Association of Wholesalers and forms a partnership with Kiosk AG in Bern. He moves the company’s head office close to Basel’s SBB railway station in Nauenstrasse. In 1938, Huppuch caps off his successful strategy by buying all of the company’s shares and creating the “MOBA” (Max Oettinger Basel) brand.

1945: Switzerland’s most important tobacco wholesaler

After the war, the Basel company is one of Switzerland’s most important tobacco wholesalers. A smooth succession is also ensured: Harding Joerin and Dr. Ernst Schneider, Huppuch’s very capable sons-in-law, become the sole shareholder’s right hand men in 1944 and 1947 respectively. Max Oettinger AG thus becomes a solid family firm.

1961: Dr. Ernst Schneider takes over – Start of third generation

Dr. Ernst Schneider, husband of Huppuch’s daughter Annemarie, takes over and leads the company into the 21st century. He is a Basel lawyer who as a young man worked for the Swiss Red Cross at the Dachau and Birkenau concentration camps. The insights into human nature he gathered during this time, as well as his experience as the director of the Ed. Laurens S.A. cigarette company in the Swiss city of Lausanne from 1956 to 1961, make Schneider the perfect person to lead the company into the 21st century. With charisma, intuition, flexibility – and luck created by hard work – he makes some initial acquisitions, including Zurich-based tobacco retailer Naegeli zum Tabakfass AG in 1965, and then in

1969 the tobacco and confectionary wholesaler Säuberli & Cie AG in Suhr. Slowly a conglomerate of tobacco retailing and tobacco/confectionery wholesaling businesses begins to take shape; Oettinger gradually becomes an international company.

1970: Zino Davidoff sells to Oettinger

A major milestone on this journey came with the acquisition of Zino Davidoff’s cigar business in Geneva. Davidoff, a charismatic Russian who had fled the political turmoil of his home town, Kiev, came to Switzerland with his father in 1911. He soon took over his father’s shop on the Boulevard des Philosophes in Geneva and turned it into the world’s most successful specialist cigar business, frequented by many Russian exiles and politicians, including Lenin. After doing business with each other for many years and forming an increasingly close friendship, Zino sold his business and the right to the “Davidoff” brand name to Dr. Ernst Schneider in 1970. Zino continued to support the firm as an ambassador until his death in 1994. Establishing “Davidoff” as an international brand begins in earnest.

1973: The Group grows

The development of the “Davidoff” brand goes hand in hand with the Oettinger Davidoff Group’s significant expansion through further acquisitions. In 1973, the Group buys Belgian company Zabia SA, Pronk Import BV of the Netherlands in 1978, the German tobacco retail chain Wolsdorff Tobacco GmbH, Hamburg in 1997, and French company Belrive SA in 1999. Davidoff of Geneva Inc. had already been set up in the USA in 1988.

1991: Move of Davidoff production to Dominican Republic

At the end of the 1980s, Ernst Schneider decides to move production of the renowned Davidoff cigars from Cuba to the Dominican Republic, launching the new generation of Davidoff cigars. This bold decision marks the start of the company’s “Crop to Shop” philosophy, which allows to control and steer every single step of the value chain to guarantee the highest quality and consistency of the cigars.

1998: Ernst Schneider steps away from operational business
Now 77, Dr. Ernst Schneider becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors and hands over operational management to Dr. Reto Cina.

1998: Ernst Schneider steps away from operational business
Now 77, Dr. Ernst Schneider becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors and hands over operational management to Dr. Reto Cina, born in Bern in 1946. In 1999 the Group opens Distripack Vertriebs- und Handels GmbH in Weil am Rhein, Germany, which replaces the Dutch logistics centre that was previously responsible for the Europe region. On 1 January 2001, all of Max Oettinger AG’s wholesaling activities are merged with those of Säuberli & Cie. AG into the new company Contadis AG, based in Oberentfelden, Switzerland. Regular celebrations are held over the years, including for the company’s 125th anniversary in 2000. The Group takes the opportunity to sponsor an exhibition about tobacco at the Museum of Culture in Basel: “Starker Tobak – Ein Wunderkraut erobert die Welt” (Strong Stuff – The Miracle Plant that Conquered the World”).

2003: Worldwide launch of the “Zino Platinum” cigar brand
The new “Zino Platinum” brand is launched worldwide in partnership with American marketing guru Peter Arnell and hip-hop mogul Steve Stoute. The brand, which covers the “Crown” and “Scepter” series, adopts a completely new approach in terms of design, marketing and advertising.

2006: Dr. Ernst Schneider resigns as Chairman of the Board of Directors

On 1 July, Dr. Ernst Schneider steps down as Chairman of Oettinger Imex AG and remains a member of the Board of Directors.

2008: “Winston Churchill” and acquisitions in Honduras and the USA

In May 2008, the company launches the “Winston Churchill” cigar brand worldwide in homage to the legendary British prime minister and cigar smoker. His descendants had given Oettinger Davidoff exclusive rights to manufacture, market and sell cigars, cigarillos and smoking accessories using the famous name. In the same year, the company buys family firm Camacho Cigars. With this acquisition, the Group strengthens its presence in the US, the world’s largest cigar market, and adds another key producer country to its portfolio: Honduras. In addition, the acquisition of Cusano Cigars in the USA in 2009 gives Oettinger Davidoff access to new sales channels in the USA.

2009: Dr. Ernst Schneider †
Following a short illness Dr. Ernst Schneider dies on Tuesday 13 October 2009 at the age of 88, following 60 years of service to the family firm.

2011: 100 years of Davidoff Flagship Stores and new CEO

In April 2011, Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard takes over management of the company while the oldest Davidoff store in the world turns 100. Zino Davidoff’s father opened the shop on Boulevard des Philosophes in Geneva in 1911, thus laying the foundation for today’s worldwide network of around 70 Davidoff Flagship Stores. To mark the 100th anniversary of the original company, Davidoff celebrates “100 Years of Excellence in Fine Cigar Retailing”. On 1 December of the same year, a new retail concept is launched with the opening of the first new-look Davidoff Flagship Store at Zurich airport.

2012: Concentration on core business

Continuation of the strategy, defined in the previous year, of focussing on the core business of cigars, leads to the sale of filling station shop specialist Contashop AG and a reorganisation of Swiss wholesale business.

2013: Repositioning the Davidoff brand and launch of Davidoff Nicaragua

Relaunch of the Davidoff brand with a new creative platform: “Time Beautifully Filled”. “Time” is acknowledged as the ultimate luxury. The launch of the new Davidoff “Nicaragua” line, the start of today’s Davidoff Black Band Collection, proves to be very successful and demonstrates that Davidoff is a brand not a territory.

2013: Renaming and new branches

Oettinger IMEX AG and Oettinger Davidoff Group are renamed as Oettinger Davidoff AG and are given a new corporate design. Head office moves provisionally to Hochbergerstrasse 15 in the Basel suburb of Kleinhüningen. The plan is to demolish the company’s base by the railway station and replace it with a modern glass building designed by renowned Basel architects Diener & Diener. “Maison Davidoff” should be ready for use in 2017. A branch is opened in Austria under the name “Davidoff of Geneva” to strengthen the Group’s positioning.

2014: Expansion of worldwide presence and reorganisation in Benelux

In the first half of 2014, sales of Oettinger Davidoff products in Spain are transferred from longstanding partner Proein SA to “Davidoff of Geneva Iberia”, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oettinger Davidoff AG. Oettinger Davidoff AG’s national operations in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are also reorganised, with a single management structure for Benelux.

2015: Investments in Asia and strengthening and crop-to-shop philosophy / Concentration on core business / Launch of Davidoff Escurio series / Relaunch of Davidoff Winston Churchill Cigars
With the acquisition of a 25 percent stake in Asian distribution partner Bluebell Cigars (Asia) Ltd. and the signing of a framework agreement with Chinese distribution partner Sparkle Roll Group Limited, Oettinger Davidoff AG strengthens its commitment in Asia, and especially in China. Major acquisition of tobacco farmland in Honduras, which further strengthens of the company’s crop-to-shop philosophy, an anchor of its global strategy. Acquisition of land to build a new cigar factory in Danlí, Honduras. Oettinger Davidoff AG sells its wholesale business, incorporated in Contadis AG, to Lekkerland (Schweiz) AG, and closes its Oberentfelden site. The sale is a result of the systematic implementation of the company’s clearly defined corporate strategy to focus on cigars and cigar accessories as well as international sole agencies. Inspired by Zino Davidoff’s pioneering spirit, the company is launching the Davidoff Escurio, a Brazilian cigar series. The second Davidoff line decorated with the black Davidoff cigar ring. Relaunch of the Davidoff Winston Churchill cigar line, named after the world’s most legendary cigar aficionado – a complex man who defied categorization.

2016: Majority stake in Bluebell Cigars Asia / Launch of Davidoff Yamasá

On 1 January 2016, Oettinger Davidoff takes over a majority stake in Bluebell Cigars (Asia) Ltd. Bluebell Cigars (Asia) Ltd. will be renamed Davidoff of Geneva (Asia) Ltd. After 20 years in the making, Davidoff Cigars unveils another cigar line of its Davidoff Black Band Collection, the Davidoff Yamasá series.

2017: Domenico Scala becomes Chairman of the Board and Beat Hauenstein is nominated CEO / Inauguration of the new Maison Davidoff / Opening of new factory in Danlí and Founding of Affiliate in Germany
In August 2017, The Board of Directors nominates Domenico Scala, as the new Chairman of the Board and appoints Beat Hauenstein, former COO of the Group, as the new CEO. On October 25, 2017, the newly built Maison Davidoff, the company’s global headquarters, which has been located at Nauenstrasse 73 in Basel since 1930, is officially inaugurated on October 25, 2017, after two years of construction. Earlier in the year, Oettinger Davidoff AG officially opened its new factory in Danlí, Honduras, where all Camacho and Zino cigars are crafted. With this strategic move, the company responds to the fast-growing global demand for its brand Camacho. At the same time the company also opens its new German affiliate: Davidoff of Geneva Germany.

2018: Davidoff celebrates 50 years and AVO Cigars 30 Years

The Davidoff brand is celebrating the 50-year jubilee of the iconic white Davidoff band while AVO Cigars celebrates its 30th anniversary.

2021: 30 Years in the Dominican Republic / Redesign of distribution / Relaunch of Zino Brand
Oettinger Davidoff is celebrating an important milestone: the company has been producing its cigars in the Dominican Republic for 30 years (1991–2021). The move to the Dominican Republic marked the start of the “crop-to-shop” philosophy, which allows the company to monitor and steer all stages of cigar production and quality, from the development, drying, and fermentation of the seeds to the rolling of the cigars and delivery to authorized dealers worldwide. Also, the warehouse and distribution logstics is redesigned and Arvato Supply Chain Solutions GmbH in Harsewinkel (DE) is now delivering all products to our own distributors and agents (with the exception of the USA and Canada). In May 2021, the Zino brand is relaunched with a Nicaraguan taste profile and a new campaign «Live Life from A-Z».

2023: Davidoff Cigars launches its “Difference” Campaign / Opening of the Tabadom Learning Center in the Dominican Republic and record business year
In January 2023, the company’s flagship brand Davidoff launches its “Difference Campaign” celebrating the Davidoff White Band Collection which includes all Davidoff cigars carrying the iconic white Davidoff cigar band. In February 2023, the company opens a learning center at its production site in the Dominican Republic, offering the children of the employees free English lessons. The year 2023 is for Oettinger Davidoff a record business year with regard to handmade premium cigar sales.

2025: Expansion of Manufacturing site in the Dominican Republic

In February 2025, Oettinger Davidoff officially inaugurates the extension of its manufacturing site in Villa Gonzalez (Dominican Republic). With this strategic expansion the company responds respond to the fast-growing global demand for our handmade premium cigar brands, in particular the key brand Davidoff. The expansion includes a new blending center of 1.700m2, an extension of the existing manufacturing halls, as well as increased tobacco storage at our tobacco processing site in Jicomé.

2025: Oettinger Davidoff celebrates 150 Years of Passion, Innovation and Craftsmanship
In May 2025, Oettinger Davidoff company celebrates 150 Years of Innovation, Passion, Craftsmanship. Leading to this anniversary, the “Davidoff of Geneva since 1911” flagship store in Basel underwent a complete renovation while further store renovations and openings are planned for the jubilee year. To further mark the occasion, the company launches an exclusive Limited Edition – The Davidoff Exclusive 150 Years Oettinger Davidoff which is exclusively on shelve at its own Swiss retail stores. In addition, the company opens the doors of the Maison Davidoff, offering guided tours to discover the company’s global Headquarters and its the150-year-old history.