Xobe interviews V2.

[justintempler]

Postwhores who count posts as currency, and Wikipedia elitists.

2431 posts/22 months
vs
1175 posts/12 months

pot -> kettle -> black

I don't have any problems with fluff pieces. My gripe was with Chad's idea of what constitutes a "really good" article.

Not everyone has the same tastes, I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings. :roll:

[Anthony]

It would have been cool if he'd asked: Is it not true that you do not not not not not not put a little chimpanzee spit in your snus?

[aj01]

WTF?

Guys:

Shut up and keep focused on making sure we have access to product in the US.

Xobeloot wrote the article he wanted to write, which was a light-hearted character piece of the V2 brothers which underscores the passion they put into the business. Nice to know people like that exist. Go into Taboca today and you'll find humorless Norwegian accountants. Skruf, F&L, and JTI are cigarette companies who find snus, frankly, a drag on the business. It's nice to hear a 'good news' story about snus these days.

Take it outside, if there is personal animosity, but leave it to the rest of us to have a civil debate.

Chances are American snusers will all be using General Portion in the next few years with PACT and economic factors coming into play. Best to rally together as a group than to argue. No?

[v2]

Hi

I thought it was amusing to do something else then the more "dry" interview...

Patrick

[tom502]

I think people tend to take too personal what others write. I like to read everyone's articles and posts. I may not like or agree with them all, but I don't expect everyone to do the same with mine. I like the idea that we can all be united in snus. Now where is that pipe...

[Roo]

I thought the article was great. Refreshing and humorous interview style. Nice job Xobe.

Sure, this place has its annoyances, and I'm sure that to some, I'm one of them. I still like to read it though, and post. On top of that, while the feuds are silly, who can deny that they make for a good read from time to time? Obviously its much better when we all get along, but I take the bad with the good. It's all good.

[aj01]

V2

It would have been nice to know how V2 plans to approach PACT. The imposition of taxes will ratchet snus prices up significantly in the US, and it's fairly clear that Internet sales will most likely disappear in the next 5 years. Shop owners and chains won't stand for it.

Once Swedish Match bans Internet sales to foster its own bricks and mortar business in the USA, it will force companies like Northerner, Buysnus, Getsnus, and Snuscentral to look for other lines of business.

V2 appears to he hip to the current situation, so I am sure they have something lined up.

Though, their plans to get 10% of the Swedish market will cost them several million over 5 years. Sales guys, fridges, infrastructure (finance, HR, marketing, etc) all costs money. The fact they're not Swedish is a big minus.

Best advice would be to move the factory to Poland. They can pay a line worker $600 per month, work him like a dog for overtime, and put all the savings into marketing or their pockets.

[Ainkor]

Re: V2

Best advice would be to move the factory to Poland. They can pay a line worker $600 per month, work him like a dog for overtime, and put all the savings into marketing or their pockets.

While it could be argued whether or not that would be a good business decision, I certainly wouldn't want to work for you

So much for making a nice place to work! I am glad I don't have that attitude with the 200 people that work for me. I prefer to balance the need to grow larger with providing a good living wage and a good place to work that fosters a family atmosphere instead of tons of OT.

Nothing personal aj01, as a businessman, I can see the benefits, but success isn't always described as making the absolute most amount of money. Life isn't about who has the biggest pot to piss in when they keel over.

[Snusdog]

Re: V2

success isn't always described as making the absolute most amount of money. Life isn't about who has the biggest pot to piss in when they keel over.

Concur :!:

[Roo]

Ainkor, well spoken, sir. You have my permanent respect.

[aj01]

Poland

I say that as someone who had hundreds of satisfied factory workers under me in Poland. $600 is much more than a good living wage there, and above the norm for factory workers, and the desire to get time-and-a-half for overtime is generally high, especially if the work environment is pleasant and the work is steady. I in no way meant it as a capitalist-tool exploiter. I ran a factory there with steadily increasing wages and two satisfied unions for 3 years.

What I meant was that if V2 decides to produce snus in an EU country where the product is illegal (in this case Denmark, loose excluded), choose a lower cost base EU country where labor is cheaper (Dell has done it, along with GM, Ford, Hyundai, Samsung, all cigarette companies, and hundreds of others). Denmark is one of the most expensive countries in the world to maintain a production site.