Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars thundering from Zimbabwe to t...

Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars thundering from Zimbabwe to the world

Audrey Galawu

Second runner up for the Best Small to Medium Enterprises Tourism Related Facility at the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo 2022, Zimbabwe’s first cigar maker is making its mark in the country and in the world.

Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars, which started operating in March 2020, aspires to be what Victoria Falls is to local and global tourism while giving consumers a smoking experience that thunders.

After 15 years of living in the United States of America, Shep Mafundikwa a returned to Zimbabwe to start a business of his own, inspired by cigar lounges in the USA.

Upon realising the gap of rolled cigars in Zimbabwe, he translated conversations into practice traveling to Cuba and the Dominican Republic to learn more about the craft.

He started with the help of Cuban and Dominican experts. One Dominican guru, Elias is still the head trainer at the factory.

Starting the company without any corporate backing, Mafundikwa was aware that breaking the stranglehold of legends in the elite cigar market would not be easy for his greenhorn.

However, the company already has an international clientele, exporting cigars to Brazil, Romania, South Africa, the United States of America, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Dubai.

The company has delivered their hand-rolled cigars to American rapper Clifford Joseph Harris Jnr popularly known by his stage name TI.

"While it was hard to operate under COVID we have successfully introduced our product to the global market where it has been received with interest.

The hand rolled cigar products are manufactured from 95% local Burley tobacco, with the remaining 5% being made up of imported cigar wrapper.

It is the company’s stated objective to produce all its cigar products with 100% Zimbabwean tobacco. In this regard, work is already underway in collaboration with the local Tobacco Research Board, Kutsaga.

The cigar manufacturing factory prides itself in its contribution to preserving our environment by limiting its carbon footprint to the lowest minimum possible.

"No trees are being cut down to cure the tobacco used in all our operations, our tobacco input is air cured and all our packaging boxes are manufactured from waste material comprising of saw dust and wood shavings.

"We want to establish ourselves as a leading supplier of African premium cigars to the world market," Mafundikwa says.

After building his manufacturing factory in Granite, Mafundikwa trained a group of ten women in hand rolling.

"We managed to set up Zimbabwe’s first cigar factory and successfully managed the skills transfers, empowering the women who work for us with a skill they never dreamed of having.

Mosi Oa Tunya Cigars are available in clubs and liquor outlets in Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru and Victoria Falls.

He advises other young entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and stay focused, "Every challenge brings opportunities," Mafundikwa says.