Tobacco Associates Incorporated

TOBACCO ASSOCIATES PROMOTES U.S. GROWN LEAF TOBACCO BY PROVIDING TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND INFORMATION ABOUT U.S. GROWN LEAF TOBACCO TO TOBACCO LEAF CUSTOMERS AROUND THE WORLD.

TRADE SERVICING MISSIONS/INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIRS: TOBACCO ASSOCIATES TRADE SERVICING MISSIONS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MARKET EXPLORATION, CUSTOMER SERVICING, AND INFORMATION GATHERING. PERSONAL MEETINGS WITH CUSTOMERS AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS ALLOW TA TO OBTAIN RELEVANT INFORMATION REQUIRED TO ADEQUATELY ACCESS MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR U.S. FLUE-CURED EXPORTS. FRANK DISCUSSIONS ARE HELD ON A COUNTRY'S DOMESTIC MARKET SITUATION AND ITS SHORT AND LONG-TERM INDUSTRY OBJECTIVES. IN RETURN, TA HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN ITS MISSION AND CAPABILITIES AS WELL AS DISCUSS AREAS WHERE TA MAY BE OF ASSISTANCE IN THE UTILIZATION OF U.S. FLUE-CURED. TYPICALLY, ONE TA STAFF MEMBER MAKES A TRIP TO A TARGETED REGION WHERE MULTIPLE MEETINGS ARE HELD IN MULTIPLE COUNTRIES. THE DURATION OF THE TRIPS ARE USUALLY 18-21 DAYS, DEPENDING ON THE REGION VISITED.TO REACH A MUCH BROADER AND DIVERSE AUDIENCE, TA TYPICALLY COMBINES ITS TRADE SERVICING MISSIONS WITH PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIRS. THE TRADE FAIRS ARE ATTENDED BY MUCH OF THE WORLDWIDE TOBACCO INDUSTRY, INCLUDING: LEAF SUPPLIERS, MATERIAL SUPPLIERS, EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS, MANUFACTURERS, FLAVOR COMPANIES, ETC. THE FAIRS PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR TA TO DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION REGARDING ITS PROMOTION PROGRAMS, ESTABLISH NEW CONTACTS, STRENGTHEN EXISTING CONTACTS AND OBTAIN USEFUL INFORMATION. IT ALSO ALLOWS TA TO KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND TO MEET WITH PRODUCT SUPPLIERS WHOSE ASSISTANCE IS ESSENTIAL IN IMPLEMENTING ITS TECHNICAL PROMOTION PROGRAMS. TRADE FAIRS USUALLY LAST 3 DAYS WITH ANYWHERE FROM 25-75 COMPANIES EXHIBITING AND ARE ATTENDED BY HUNDREDS OF COMPANY OFFICIALS.

INTERNATIONAL LEAF STANDARDS SEMINARS: INTERNATIONAL LEAF STANDARDS SEMINARS ARE CONDUCTED IN THE OVERSEAS MARKET AND DESIGNED TO PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FOR UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATING THE QUALITY ASPECTS OF U.S. TOBACCO AND HOW TOBACCO IS GRADED BASED ON USDA OFFICIAL GRADE STANDARDS. THE SEMINARS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TA TO PHYSICALLY DEMONSTRATE TO A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPANY OFFICIALS HOW STALK POSITION, COLOR, AND ELEMENTS OF QUALITY COMBINE TO DETERMINE A U.S. TOBACCO GRADE. THE HANDS-ON TRAINING ALLOWS PARTICIPANTS TO LEARN SPECIFIC GRADE ATTRIBUTES AND HOW THOSE ATTRIBUTES WERE DERIVED FROM PRODUCTION AND CURING PRACTICES. FOR THOSE OFFICIALS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN LEAF UTILIZATION OR PURCHASING, IT GIVES THEM A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH GRADES ARE MORE DESIRABLE AND SUITABLE FOR THEIR BLEND NEEDS.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ENCOMPASSES THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF PROMOTION PROGRAMS AND ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING: 1) FURTHER THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIQUE QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF U.S. FLUE-CURED, 2) DEMONSTRATE HOW U.S. FLUE-CURED GRADES CAN BE UTILIZED TO IMPROVE THE SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS OF A BLEND, 3) DEMONSTRATE HOW CERTAIN BLENDING TECHNIQUES ARE USED TO MAXIMIZE THE POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS AND MINIMIZE THE LESS DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH GRADE IN A BLEND, 4) PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND INFORMATION IN THE USE OF CASING AND FLAVORING ADDITIVES TO ENHANCE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TOBACCOS AND 5) PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO JOINTLY DEVELOP NEW BLENDS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS OR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS.TA RELIES ON THE TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE OF ITS INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS TO PROVIDE ON-SITE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE. TYPICALLY, FOUR TO SIX OFFICIALS ARE TRAINED DURING A 7-10 DAY PERIOD.

U.S. TRADE STUDY MISSION/LEAF SEMINARS: TOBACCO ASSOCIATES TRADE STUDY MISSION AND LEAF SEMINAR EXPENSE CATEGORY BLENDS TWO OF OUR PROVEN PROGRAMS INTO ONE.LETTERS ARE EXTENDED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF KEY OVERSEAS CIGARETTE MANUFACTURERS INVITING THEM TO SEND TWO TO THREE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THEIR LEAF AND/OR BLEND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO THE USA TO PARTICIPATE IN TOBACCO ASSOCIATES TWO WEEK TRAINING AND STUDY MISSION.PARTICIPANTS ARE PROVIDED AN INTENSE LEAF GRADING SCHOOL FOR U.S. FLUE-CURED LEAF. BLENDED INTO THE SCHOOL ARE IN-THE-FIELD OBSERVATION AND TRAINING VISITS TO FARMS, MARKETING CENTERS, PROCESSING PLANTS, AND MANUFACTURING.TYPICALLY, WE MAY HAVE 15-20 PARTICIPANTS FROM 8-12 COUNTRIES. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE IN-DEPTH TRAINING ABOUT THE U.S. TOBACCO INDUSTRY AND SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE VARIOUS GRADES OF U.S. GROWN LEAF. THE HOPE IS THAT THE GREATER KNOWLEDGE THE CUSTOMERS HAVE ABOUT U.S. LEAF THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO PURCHASE U.S. LEAF. THE HANDS-ON DIRECT CONTACT WITH OUR FARMERS AND SUPPLIERS HAS PROVEN TO BE SUCCESSFUL. PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO PROVIDE THEIR INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION TO RALEIGH, NC AND TOBACCO ASSOCIATES PROVIDES LODGING, TRAINING, MATERIALS, INSTRUCTION, AND DOMESTIC TRANSPORTATION.