Established in 2001, M.J.EXPORTS is now, renowned names in the field of Raw Zarda Tobacco. Known for unmatched quality, timely supply of orders, competitive prices and customer oriented approach, we have established ourselves as highly reliable and respected suppliers in chewing tobacco industry.

We believe in creating serious and lasting strategic relationships with our clients. In fact our buyers have always treated us as their business partners. We believe in Continuous Improvement Philosophy. Excellence is what we strive for, and its been our only way of doing business.

Our  presence in Anand(Gujarat ) brings  advantage to our clients. While Gujarat is the region where Zarda tobacco is grown,

Thus we not only ensure raw tobacco at lower price and high quality, but being present in one of the most important tobacco mandi's, We are also well knowledgeable in the other Zarda related issues. Our motto is to build long lasting partnerships with our clients by ensuring quality and reliability in their raw tobacco supply chain, at the most competitive prices in the industry.

1. What is Zarda Tobacco - Zarda tobacco is the flavoured tobacco, Primarily used in Paans. brought in India by the foreign traders during the mughal reign, tobacco is something completely ingrained in the Indian culture. The habit of zarda (chewing tobacco) in South Asian and Far Eastern civilization has been inherited over the centuries and continues even in modern times.It is prepared by blending  Tobacco leaves, Perfumes, Sweeteners, and other compounds unique to the manufacturers.

2. Where is it grown - In India , the raw zarda tobacco is primarily grown in the state of Gujarat . While different types of tobacco is grown all over the country but the tobacco that is suitable for zarda manufacturing is grown in Gujarat only. This is due to the unique combination of the climatic conditions and the soil type present there.

3. How big is the Zarda Tobacco market in India - Chewing tobacco has been a tradition in India for centuries. Of the total amount of tobacco produced in the country, around 48% is in the form of chewing tobacco, 38% as bidis, and only 14% as cigarettes. Thus, bidis, snuff and chewing tobacco (such as gutka, khaini and zarda) form the bulk (86%) of India 's total tobacco production. In the rest of the world, production of cigarettes is 90% of total production of tobacco related products. The per capita consumption of cigarettes in India is merely a tenth of the world average.

4. Difference between Zarda and Zafrani Zarda - in persian, "zafran" means "saffron". so, the zarda tobacco when flavoured with saffron, is many times referred as Zafrani Zarda.

5. How is the export market - There is a huge demand for quality Zafrani Zarda Tobacco not only in India but also in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Afganistan, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Oman, Canada, United Kingdom, Nepal, Bangladesh and USA, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa Oman, Canada, United Kingdom, Nepal, Bangladesh, USA etc.Many of out clients are engaged in exporting their brands in these foreign locations.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus, an Italian acting for the Spanish monarch King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, found a sea route to the Americas whilst trying to reach India.

Columbus encounters tobacco use for the first time. In 1498, 6 Years later, Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese, found a sea route to India and reached Mumbai (Bombay ). This started the sea trade in spices and silk between Europe and South Asia . In 1501 slavery starts in the Americas as the Spanish bring African slaves for land clearance in South America for agriculture. This then extends to using them in tobacco farming. Tobacco was still a rare and exotic plant presented to a few in the European Courts.

In 1527 the first large-scale tobacco production begins as the first  ‘plantation’ is started in

Haiti by the Spanish using slave labour.  In 1531 Santo Domingo comes under tobacco cultivation. South American tobacco industry starts. 1566 Jean Nicot, French Ambassador to the Portugese Court , send tobacco seeds to France . His name is used to give a scientific name to the plant: Nicotiana. Later people will name the main addictive substance in tobacco as Nicotine.

Tobacco entered South Asia under the Mughal rulers (Central Asian Turks). It may have come in during emperor Shah Jahan's reign, the builder of the Taj Mahal, around 1600. This early tobacco came from the South American plantations and was first purchased in the Eastern Mediterranean ports by traders from Portugal , Persia and South Asia .  It was then taken over to South Asia along the return leg of the great Silk Road and supplied to the Persian, Mughal and Chinese courts along the route. Goa (a Portugese Colony) also supplied some Tobacco directly to its hinterland that had come via the sea.

Mass tobacco sales and use in South Asia began with the Raj from 1700-1800. British merchants connected with the Virginian Tobacco farmers in the United States started large scale and mass export drive into new emerging markets in South Asia .

Early tobacco came in as smoking tobacco and this was changed into chewing tobacco. This was then incorporated into the local habit of chewing betel nut leaf (Paan) and entered many social and religious functions under the Mughal courts. Smoking Tobacco began with the advent of  European clay/china pipes. These pipes then evolved into the quintessential Persian and Turkish water cooled smokeware: The Hookah.

Tobacco slowly began to be ‘indigenised’ as it was incorporated with local spices and additives and subjected to various processes to yield products like:

• Gutka- A composite of betel nut shreds, chalk lime paste, spices and tobacco ground together and sundried/ mildly heat treated. It is available in ready mixed sachets or is freshly mixed at the Paan shop to the users specification.
• Zarda- Tobacco flakes with silver leaf shreds used as additive to paans. Some use it as a ‘lozenge’ ball placed on the side of the mouth with a smear of chalk lime paste.
• Qimam- A mixture of glycerine, sugar syrup, gold and silver leaf, saffron and tobacco extract. Used as an additive to Paans.
• Snuff mixtures- Tobacco is cured, treated and mixed with various other local ingredients to yield several unique snuff products across South Asia.
• Paan mixtures- Every paan shop and region will have its own tobacco mixtures that go into the betel nut leaf to be chewed.