A tour in a historical building and factory

Always wanted to know how a cigar is made, what the history of the tobacco industry is and where De Olifant gets its tobacco from? Then come along for a tour. Tours are given from Monday to Friday at 11 am. Friday and Saturday there is an extra possibility at 14:00 o'clock. Tickets are for sale here. If you have any special request you can fill in our contactform.

General information
The tour lasts an hour and you are warmly welcomed with a cup of coffee or tea. Besides our factory, you can also see our historic building and the famous Kennekamer. During the tour, we explain comprehensively about the processing of tobacco, the production process of a cigar and the origin of the tobacco in the various countries. You will learn the history of the Kampen cigar industry and the importance of making cigars for the city and its inhabitants, in the present and the past. The tour is given by Marjolijn or Errol.

The cigar factory
In De Olifant's cigar factory you will find a maze of work and storage rooms; built of wood, unbleached walls and stone floors of paving bricks. Parts of the attic trusses from the late Middle Ages. The sloping walls, the old clinker floors and the wooden ramps of Sigarenfabriek De Olifant are soaked by the smell of tobacco and cedar wood. Since 1883 tobacco products have been manufactured in this monumental factory. For a long time, the factory mainly museological character, but since the mid-eighties of the last century, production has been in full swing with the help of traditional machines. The oldest machine dates from 1888. Since 2009, some pre-war machines have been modernized also. Walking past the atmospheric rooms and tobacco-filled spaces it becomes clear that the cigars of De Olifant are produced with the extremely care and passion. Whether it concerns the way of melting or the way of producing and packaging, quality is always the most important. Cheerful singing staff members are in love with "their" factory. They "run" a fixed production cigars per year divided over various models and limited editions.

A tour in our company
You enter in the store. This nostalgically decorated room offers a good overview of the entire cigar range. At the back of the store there is a narrow corridor that takes you to the factory. Through the Kennekamer, you pass the moisteningroom, where the dried deck leaves are moisturized and made elastic. Our deck leaves are Sumatra Sand Blade and Java leaf. Then we enter the melange room, where the cigar's filling is mixed. A mix of tobacco from Brazil, Havana and Sumatra. You can look and smell the different blends.

After a look in the storage rooms, the walk continues to the machines on the next floor. Here are seven pre-war, but modernized, cigar machines, which are manned by 14 ladies. These ladies have gained a lot of knowledge because they have been working here from an early age. They manufacture about four million cigars a year. The cigars are aged for six weeks and after inspectation packed in fine cedar boxes.

At special request, the guide can show the Tobacco museum.

After a tour through our company you know everything about our selection procedure of our tabaccos. You learn a leave will go through a hand a lot of times before she is used for the cigar. Culture and history lovers will like a tour through our company very much. 

Tickets and prices

Tickets for these tours can be bought here:
The price for a ticket is €10,- per person.
These prices include a cup of coffee of tea.

Recommendations

It is very nice to book a tasting after the tour, or visit the beautiful city Kampen. Check the possibilities here.
Do you want to know everything of the history from the tobacco industry of Kampen Kampen, click here.

Are you looking for a beautiful photo location for your wedding? You can see all the possibilities here.