Snus distribution in "tobacco" states

[Lcarvone]

This is a pseudo question for Rick but really any opinions are appreciated....I am going to be travelling a bit over the summer and checked out my routes against the snus distribution lists for the U.S. (Not General stuff, more like Jaks, Oden's etc.) I noticed that it appears in the more tobacco oriented/producing states in the Southeast such as NC, SC, KY, WV, VA, etc., there seems to be very little in terms of options for real Swedish Snus. Is this related to the fact that they are more old school tobacco areas, a matter of distribution/chains, an innate fear of Swedes, or what?

[rickcharles606]

I'll be honest here and say that I've been trying to get my head around this phenomenon myself. I've even made it a point to contact shops in these areas specifically to speak to them about carrying our products. What I've found is that fewer people are asking for snus in these areas. It's interesting to me that even though these states show a high usage of smokeless tobacco there are lower amounts of people using snus. I'm beginning to believe that "dippers" are happy with what they are using, until it starts to affect their gums and teeth in a negative way. It's then that they begin looking for a safer alternative. Not sure really, but rest assured myself and our distributor's sales reps are working on getting more representation in these areas.

It helps when you guys get me leads of shops that know you will buy from them if they carry it...hint, hint