History - OJSC "Grodno Tobacco Factory "Neman"

History

Grodno Tobacco Factory «Neman» is one of the oldest enterprises in Belarus, founded in 1861. Throughout its century-and-a-half-long history, the factory has never changed its original specialization.  We have carried our rich traditions and high name through our history to the present day!

1861

1864

1869–1873

1880

1882–1885

1887

1889

1892–1896

1906

1913

1924

1930

1939

1941–1944

1944

1952

1957–1982

1988

1999–2002

2003

2005–2015

2011

2016

2021

On July 17, 1861, the Grodno Provincial Government considered the petition of merchants Abram Gordon and Leiba Shereshevsky for permission to open a tobacco factory in Grodno. Statistical data for the Grodno province in 1861 indicated that the factory employed: 1 artisan, 3 workers; in total, 2,000 Russian rubles worth of products were produced in a year.

In order to expand production, Shereshevsky is moving the factory to his own mansion located in the city center on Mostovaya Street (the old factory building now belongs to the “Accent” glove factory)

In 1869, the factory was equipped with 3 machines for cutting tobacco, a horse-drawn machine for grating it with five steps. Russian, American and Turkish tobacco were used in the production of products. 1872-1873 – The Grodno tobacco factory produced 2,500 pounds of tobacco worth 30,000 royal rubles, and in 1873 2,600 pounds worth 40,000 rubles were produced.
The number of employees increased: there were 10 craftsmen and 20 workers. The factory’s products were supplied to all major cities of Russia. In 1873, the factory already used 6 tobacco cutting machines.

The management of the factory passes to the son of Leiba Shereshevsky, Iosel. He manages to turn the factory into the largest production facility in the Russian Empire and maintain leadership in the industry for almost half a century. Steam engines were installed by the factory owners.

In 1882, at the industrial exhibition in Moscow, the cigarettes on display at the Grodno Tobacco Factory were awarded the Alexander III medal of the Emperor of All Russia (Emperor and autocrat of All Russia, Tsar of Poland, Grand Duke of Finland). The victory gives the factory the right to depict on its products the face of the emperor of the Russian state and the symbols of the monarchy of the Russian Empire.
In 1884, the factory’s products received a silver medal at an exhibition in Amsterdam, and in 1885 in New Orleans.

The report of the Grodno factory inspector contains the entry “Grodno Tobacco Factory owns warehouses and shops in St. Petersburg, Simferopol, Yekaterinburg, Vilnius, Warsaw, Lodz, Nezhinsk, Radoml, Plotsk, Lublin, Lomzha, Dvinsk”.

Tobacco from Grodno conquers France. The jury of the world exhibition in Paris did not ignore the tobacco manufacturer from Grodno, awarding his products with another silver medal.

In 1892, the factory employed 1,420 workers, including 400 men, 900 women and 175 children, with wages of up to 50 rubles per month. In 1895, according to the bulletin of the Grodno police chief, 1,562 workers. In 1896, all products were produced in the amount of 1,653 thousand rubles, in 1897 more than 1,800 thousand rubles. In 1899, there were already 1,700 tobacco craftsmen and craftswomen in the production walls, who produced products worth 2,400 thousand rubles.

The factory has been transformed into a joint-stock company for the purpose of further development

Tobacco is officially included in the soldiers’ rations of the Russian army, and the Grodno Tobacco Factory is becoming the main supplier of tobacco products for all branches of the Russian Army

Due to the introduction of a monopoly on the tobacco, alcohol and match industries, the factory becomes the property of the Polish government.

Construction of a new tobacco factory building in the Zaneman part of Grodno, where the factory is still located.

The factory is a part of the “Glavtabak” of the USSR

During the Great Patriotic War, the factory was severely destroyed, and many foreign machines were exported to Germany. From the report of the Secretary of the Grodno City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Vovnyanko, in July 1944, it follows: «The tobacco factory has survived as a box, and partly its equipment».

On November 5, 1944, the economic activity of the factory was resumed, and the post-war production of smoking tobacco for the population was restored.

During this period, the legendary “Belomorkanal”, “New” and “Southern” cigarettes appeared at the factory.

For 25 years since 1957, the factory has been recognized as the best in the Union, winning all the gold tastings of the USSR Ministry of Food Industry for a quarter of a century.

Transformation into the Grodno tobacco factory “Neman”

President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko visited the factory. As a result, it was decided to modernize production globally.

The first certification according to the ISO 9001-2001 standard

The next stage of modernization, investments in production amounted to more than 124 million euros

150th anniversary of the foundation

155th anniversary of the foundation

In the year of the 160th anniversary of the enterprise, the night sky of ancient Grodno was decorated with a grandiose fireworks display. Bright flashes of fiery comets reminded the townspeople that in the beautiful city above the Neman River, the oldest enterprise in Belarus is located – a symbol of well-being and prosperity, its calling card.