From planter to trader
Now the tobacco is ready to be sold. There are many ways of selling tobacco. Some tobacco is grown to contract, planters can also sell their tobacco to traders, but most tobacco is sold at auctions. Planters sell some air-cured and sun-cured tobaccos to traders. They then see to it that the air-cured tobacco undergoes the fermentation process.
Fermenting
Fermenting is a process through which the tobacco acquires its ultimate colour, aroma and many other properties which are so characteristic of the product. Fermentation brings about changes in the leaf which determine the aroma and other factors. The slightly dried leaves are placed in piles and fermentation begins as a result of the remaining moisture and the pressure on the pile. Once the temperature in the pile has risen to a certain level the pile is reassembled. The outside leaves of the old pile now end up on the inside of the new pile. The fermentation process starts all over again. This conversion of the tobacco leaves continues until there is virtually no longer any temperature rise. Once the fermentation is complete the resulting tobacco leaves are sold directly to buyers.
Auction
The flue-cured and fire-cured tobacco which are the main tobaccos that are important for the fine-cut tobacco industry are mainly offered for sale at auctions in the United States, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The tobacco is weighed beforehand and given a quality rating. The auction staff, the starter, the auctioneer and the ticket marker, walk around on one side of the row of piled up tobacco, and on the other side are the traders. The traders have frequently been given an assignment by the tobacco industry buyers to buy certain types of tobacco. On the day of the auction the starter indicates at what price the auctioneer should begin. And then a flood of jargon pours out which is double Dutch to the layman. But the auctioneers and the buyers know exactly what they are talking about. Buying and selling goes on until the highest bid has been lodged. The ticket marker notes the buying party and the price. After the auction the lots of tobacco are taken to the traders' factories. This is where the re-drying process takes place.Redrying
Redrying involves the tobacco leaves being heated so that moisture is extracted from the leaves. The tobacco is then cooled. But in the last phase of the redrying process humid air is added. As a result all the tobacco leaves have the same humidity. Moreover the leaves now are supple enough to be packed without being damaged. Redrying also ensures that the tobacco is better able to resist external influences.Packing
The tobacco leaves are now packed. The packed tobacco is frequently stored several months in its country of origin. It is during this period that the tobacco sweats, a form of post-fermentation. Depending on what has been agreed with the tobacco industry buyer the tobacco is sent to its country of destination after this phase has been completed.
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