Still Rolling After 100 years

In 1926, founder Maurits Vandermarliere rolled his first cigar in an attic in Moen, Belgium. Exactly a century later, that single act of craftsmanship has grown into a company producing around 450 million cigars a year, exporting to over 80 countries, and uniting more than 5,000 dedicated employees on 3 continents. VCF Cigars is celebrating its centenary in 2026 – and it is doing so the only way it knows how: by building.

VCF Cigars is a family business, now in its third generation of the Vandermarliere family. But the Vandermarliere name alone does not roll a single cigar. The true lifeblood of the company are its 5,000+ growers, craftspeople and other dedicated employees.

Thanks to their combined efforts, the company has evolved into a one-stop shop for cigar production and sales, offering a broad range of products across all price levels. Through a combination of organic growth and carefully chosen acquisitions, it has assembled a select portfolio of complementary brands, including Oliva, Neos and Nub. Each is distinct in character, but all are united by a shared vision: creating quality moments for adults to enjoy natural and authentic products.

The 2016 acquisition of Oliva – a (super) premium brand for longfillers – was a turning point: it opened up an entirely new segment and broadened the company's geographic reach. Tellingly, Oliva was also a family business, and part of the family stayed on board after the acquisition. It is an approach VCF Cigars has consistently favoured: acquiring companies where founders and families remain involved, preserving the culture, the craft knowledge, and the human continuity that no due diligence process can replicate.

“The future lies in enjoyment. Not in consuming more, but in consuming better. A great cigar forces you to slow down, disconnect, and be present. In that sense, our products are not just tobacco – they are a response to the times we live in.”

FRED VANDERMARLIERE · Head of VCF Cigars

New headquarters, same roots

From its origins in Moen and its presence across Heestert (until 1989), Zwevegem and Handzame – and soon Deerlijk – VCF Cigars has always been – and intends to remain – deeply anchored in West Flanders. This is no small statement in a country that counts among Europe's most stringent on tobacco regulation. Yet the company's loyalty to its home region is unwavering.

The most tangible proof is currently taking shape in Deerlijk. Designed by Vantieghem Talebi, the new headquarters draws its inspiration from traditional tobacco drying barns, rendered in a striking concrete exoskeleton that signals both continuity and ambition. The building’s design invites people to slow down and enjoy – just like cigars do.

At 21,000 m² of built area, it is an architectural statement as much as a business decision – one that will bring together all operations, from production and logistics to administration, under a single roof when it opens in early 2028.

The new head office in Deerlijk, Belgium, is a perfect blend of heritage and innovation.

“We owe a great deal to this region and its people. Staying here is the right thing to do. And our new head office sends a message: we are not going anywhere.”

GUIDO VANDERMARLIERE · Former Head of VCF Cigars and father of Fred

Proof that craft endures

At a time when many traditional industries are in decline, VCF Cigars stands as a compelling counterpoint. The company is proof that certain crafts – and cigar-making is one of them – are not doomed to disappear. The condition? Doing it right: with deep respect for heritage, a genuine commitment to quality, and the courage to innovate.

That courage is visible in how VCF Cigars approaches technology. The company has invested significantly in digitalisation, including an AI and data strategy aimed at improving production efficiency and elevating product quality. It is a combination that might seem counterintuitive – algorithms and tobacco leaves – but the company sees no contradiction. Innovation, here, is not a disruption of tradition. It is its continuation by other means.

The market backs this thinking. While mass tobacco consumption continues to shrink globally, the premium cigar segment is holding relatively firm. Representing only 1.5% of the total tobacco market, it is a 400-year-old niche, centred around savouring flavours instead of nicotine addiction. And a niche that rewards exactly the kind of long-term, quality-first approach that VCF Cigars has always taken.

“A cigar is not a commodity. It is a moment. In a world that moves faster every year, adults are rediscovering the value of slowing down.”

FRED VANDERMARLIERE · Head of VCF Cigars

Ambition for the next 100 years

VCF Cigars is not chasing a larger smoking population. Its ambition is sharper than that: to grow its share of a premium market it already knows better than almost anyone. The company has steadily carved out a position built on value, on craft, and on the quiet conviction that some things are worth doing slowly, carefully, and well.

That ambition is rooted in respect for people and planet, and is a reflection of how Fred Vandermarliere leads. Not just VCF Cigars, but everything he is involved in. As a multi-investor and venture builder who backs emerging companies across multiple sectors, he brings the same long-term, people-first ethos to every initiative he touches.

The destination is clear. To become, in the tradition of luxury brand powerhouses, a name that stands for something. And to hand that legacy, intact and strengthened, to the fourth generation of the Vandermarliere family. A hundred years in, that conviction has never been stronger.

“None of this exists without our people. Over five thousand dedicated colleagues across three continents. They are the ones who turn a family ambition into a global reality.”

GUIDO VANDERMARLIERE · Former Head of VCF Cigars and father of Fred