I watched the latest video from Grade A Snuff Puff & Stuff today. It contained sad news: Bernard plans to cease all production from next May.
I couldn’t believe it at first because I haven’t heard anything about it yet, even though I live in Germany. But then I read the German Wikipedia article (Link) about Bernard. It says:
In March 2023, Bernard declared that it would cease all production from May 2024. This step is being taken because of the EU’s requirements in TPD 3, which will apply from May 2024 and which the company cannot implement.
The associated footnote explains that the source for this information is a letter to all the company’s customers. TPD-3 is the EU’s latest tobacco product directive.
If all this is true, a legend is going off the market. The Gebrüder Bernard factory, founded in Offenbach in 1733, was the first snuff manufacturer in Germany and is now the oldest manufacturer of snuff still in production in the world.
I don’t want to lose my “Gekachelter Virginie”. Bernard, please don’t stop!
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Update: I did try to email Bernard for comment. I received a reply today saying They could not confirm or deny as they are currently going through the process. Reading between the lines, I am praying there’s some work going on to hopefully save something for the future.
But that is just me saying that. I maybe being to optimistic.
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An update from GradeASnuff.
I also hope that Bernard will continue it’s production.
On a side note, I didnt saw the whole video of Grade A Snuff but mate from what I have seen was this guy crying over the end of Bernard?! that was low key a bit funny lol just kidding.
Am I the only one who wouldnt give two shits when hearing news like this? Life goes on guys! There are so many other snuffs. And so many that have been discontinued already.
Also I am kinda optimistic and believe that Bernard will survive!
This is more sad for the company and the people there and not for the snuffs that we will for sure miss.
ALLex-
If that’s what you think I can only assume you aren’t a snuff taker yourself.
Bernards snuff is so unique and unlike other Snuffs. Every product is of extremely high quality. The product has remained unchanged for 290 years.
The company Bernards and their products are essential to any self respecting snuffer!
I agree with ALLex on this point. Personally, I feel more pain thinking about people who may lose their jobs than about the fact that more snuff will disappear from the market. And in these nearly 20 years, I’ve seen a lot of snuff disappear from the market and a lot of companies closing down that I will miss (or those that still operate but can’t make snuff anymore). I’ve never been a big fan of Bernard’s snuff, but I appreciate a few of their creations and understand the impact they had on the tobacco world (being the first snuff factory in Germany, after all). Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.
And by the way, writing that their recipes have remained unchanged for 270 years contradicts the obvious historical facts. Let’s start with the fact that from the beginning of the 20th century the use of lard was banned (which was replaced With paraffine). If we wanted to be precise, maybe we could say that their oldest snuff at the moment comes from the second half of the 19th century.
I thought Bernard had all but confirmed they’re closing production in May - although a number of other manufacturers are also said to be possibly scaling down, or stopping altogether - Rosinski, Pfalzer and Poschl for example.
My son emailed Bernard on my behalf for confirmation as (rather extraordinarily) their website news does not mention the expected closure this May.
Sadly, Bernard is indeed shutting shop after 291 years in business, making it just the last in a depressingly long line of old-established snuff manufacturers in Britain and Europe who have headed towards the sunset in the West. Both range and volume of snuff have been whittled away yet again by the closure of Bernard.
Are there any takers for guessing the next business to fold? Looking at records held by Companies House I have a shrewd idea from viewing their plunging assets that it will be a UK manufacturer (not Wilsons).
leider wird die Situation für eine kleine Tabakmanufaktur, wie wir es sind, seit Jahren immer schwieriger. Wir haben in den letzten Jahren gegen viele „Windmühlen“ gekämpft und vielen Widrigkeiten getrotzt und bisher haben wir es zum Glück auch immer geschafft die Tradition der historischen Produktion unserer Schnupftabake aufrecht zu erhalten und gleichzeitig alle gesetzlichen Anforderungen zu erfüllen. Leider müssen wir uns jetzt den Auflagen und Gesetzen der EU geschlagen geben. Wie Sie sicher wissen, wird ab Mai 2024 das bereits bestehende Track & Trace System auch auf Schnupftabak ausgeweitet und es dürfen dann nur noch Produkte mit dem entsprechenden QR-Code verkauft werden. Wir sehen keine Möglichkeit dieses System in unserem Betrieb für unsere Produkte umzusetzen und müssen daher schweren Herzens nach 290-jähriger Schnupftabaktraditon den Verkauf unserer Produkte in Deutschland und der gesamten EU ab Mai 2024 einstellen. Bis dahin wird die Produktion und der Verkauf aber unverändert weitergehen. Wir bedauern dies sehr und haben uns die Entscheidung nicht leicht gemacht, aber es gibt leider keine Alternative. Wir bedanken uns bei allen, die uns über die langen Jahre die Treue gehalten haben.
The EU’s latest wheeze in the war against tobacco ‘Track and Trace’ accounted for the demise of Bernard and a description of this regulation can be found in ‘The Death of Snuff’ topic. Had the United Kingdom not voted to leave the EU then it’s possible that all snuff manufacture in Britain would have ended. Certainly smaller companies such as the micro-business McChrystals and SME Gawith Hoggarth would have folded, and the cost of snuff by what remained, if any, would have increased dramatically.
Unfortunately, the situation for a small tobacco manufacturer like us has been getting worse for years. We have fought against many “windmills” in recent years. We’ve defied a lot of adversity and luckily we’ve always managed to maintain the historical tradition of snuff production at the same time as meeting all legal requirements. Unfortunately we now have to deal with insurmountable requirements imposed by the EU and are finally defeated.
As you probably know, from May 2024 the existing Track & Trace system will be extended to snuff and then only allowed products with the corresponding QR code can be sold. We see no possibility of maintaining this system. Our company can’t implement this system for our products and we must, therefore, with a heavy heart after 290 years of snuff tradition, end the sale of our products in Germany and the entire EU from May 2024.
Until then, production and sales will continue unchanged.
We regret this very much and did not make the decision easy for ourselves, but there is unfortunately no alternative.
Congratulations, faceless EU bureaucrats. That’s a pointless little victory for you.
Thank you for having the inquiry made with Bernard, and for reporting back on it here. I had not considered the possibility of how this might affect the few remaining UK snuff manufacturers when they lose access to the EU export market due to the track and trace rules. Is there enough domestic demand to keep McChrystal’s in business? Wilsons? Even Gawith Hoggarth, even though their primary business is pipe tobacco (but, again, those products will be subject to the same rules for distribution in EU-markets; I doubt the US market can make up for that loss)?
This is truly heartbreaking for snuff takers who usually are also snuff history buffs. I tend to find pipe and Cigar smokers, Snuffers and loose snusers have a genuine interest in tobacco and the more artisan tobacco industry. I find the thought that our generation have managed to allow the fall of a 290 year old historic snuff mill & company is a sad and indictment on us!