Göteborgs Rapé is a popular brand of

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

snus Snus ( , ) is a tobacco product, originating from a variant of dry snuff in early 18th-century Sweden. It is placed between the upper lip and gum for extended periods, as a form of sublabial administration. Snus is not fermented. Although used s ...

– a pasteurized smokeless

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

product. Its original recipe was created in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

during the early 19th century.

History

Its origins are atypical for Swedish snus brands, as the recipe evolved through trial and error among sailors on merchant ships mooring in the

port of Gothenburg The municipally-owned Port of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs hamn) is the largest port in the Nordic countries, with over 11,000 ship visits per year from over 140 destinations worldwide. As the only Swedish port with the capacity to cope with the ...

. Unable to afford high-quality ingredients, these seamen added different spices to their loose smokeless tobacco, hereby creating their personal snus blends. A few of these blends were sold locally under 'brand names'. Göteborgs Rapé was made from selected hand-ripped tobacco giving the snus "... a mild and sweet tobacco flavor with tones of juniper berry and fresh herbs". Although popular, it was initially rarely sold outside the Gothenburg region. In order to create funding for the country's defence, and one of the first pension reforms, the state monopolized the entire Swedish tobacco industry in 1915. After the take-over, the state monopoly, controlled 103 brands of snus, of which no less than 25 were from Gothenburg. In order to slim the portfolio, the recipes were put in front of a jury. A tasting was conducted and in 1919 only five remained. These became registered brands, one of which was the Göteborgs Rapé.http://www.svensktsnus.se/en/Products/GR/ Since 1919 Göteborgs Rapé has been a factory produced snus with no hand ripping taking place.

Product milestones

*1915 – the brand is registered by the Swedish state tobacco monopoly. *1967 – Swedish Match introduces the classic round can. *1997 – Göteborgs Rapé introduces white portion snus, making the pouches white with a dry surface and therefore less runny. *2005 – White Mini Portions are introduced. *2006 – Göteborgs Rapé no. 2 Lingon is launched, flavoured with lingonberries. As of 2010 the Göteborgs Rapé had a 14% market share of the Swedish snus market.

Name

() is the original Swedish spelling of the country's second largest city,

. The word ''rapé'' (, ) comes from the French word , meaning "grated, shredded".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goteborgs Rape Tobacco brands Snus Swedish brands Gothenburg