JTI purchases about half of its leaf from contracted growers at home – of course still attending Teams meetings , but also catching up and taking some time for reflection .
Q . CAN YOU GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF JTI ’ S SUPPLY CHAIN FROM LEAF TO CONSUMER ?
» There are nine leaf ‘ origins ’ around the world , the largest of which are in the Americas and Africa , but also in Europe and Asia where we have very close relationships with growers .
We purchase leaf throughout the year because of the seasonal differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres , which means we ’ re constantly planning and adjusting .
If you speak to our leaf and blend colleagues in R & D , it ’ s very similar to being a sommelier in terms of understanding the blends to make sure we ’ re delivering a consistently high-quality product – not just in each market , but around the world . As a consumer-centric company , this is really crucial for us .
We face a lot of challenges : political challenges because we work in some very complicated areas , particularly in Africa ; challenges brought on by the impact of climate change and adverse weather in general . We have a very dispersed footprint , which means we can compensate around the world when it comes to maintaining consistency and quality .
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