A show case of clove cigarette history

A show case of clove cigarette history

Aendra H. Medita, Contributor, Kudus, Central Java

Kudus is well-known for its soto, or chicken soup with bean
sprouts, and most notably for its museum which showcases the
history of rokok kretek -- clove-blended cigarettes.

Museum Kretek has become the pride of Kudus, the home of
numerous large and small cigarette manufacturers.

The museum's exhibits illustrate the history of cigarettes,
particularly the development of kretek cigarettes in Indonesia.

Cigarettes were first introduced, in the form of rolled
tobacco, by sailors with Columbus' expedition in 1492. They were
again brought to Banten, western Java, by the Dutch in 1596.

The first sovereign known to enjoy cigarettes was Sultan Agung
Tirtayasa. In the 17th century, cigarette sales grew even more
rapidly. Some thought the brisk business was due to a form of
advertising -- a folk tale about a cigarette-loving royal couple,
Roro Mendut and her husband Pronocitro.

Business was conducted in the traditional market. Every
cigarette, (still rolled by hand), could first be lit by Roro
Mendut, in a promotional bid. Cigarettes became an icon of
luxury, exclusive and widely demanded.

Tumenggung (Regent), Wiroguno -- so the story goes -- became
increasingly addicted to smoking and infatuated with Roro Mendut.
Her great beauty made him desperate enough to kill Pronocitro in
the hope of taking her as his own.

Cigarettes rose in popularity with the circulation of the
tale. In 1896, Haj Djamhari blended tobacco with cloves in Kudus.

One day he had a bad cough and became short of breath, he
flavored his cigarette with cloves and found it remediated his
condition. The new formula was later called kretek -- imitating
the sound of smoke being sucked -- and became known in Java via
Djamhari's relatives and friends.

Kretek cigarette marketing and manufacturing entered a new
phase. Local businessman, M. Nitisemito, established the first
company to manufacture this type of cigarettes in Kudus, in 1905.
The Dutch administration issued a license to the company in 1908,
under the brand-name Bal Tiga (three balls).

Following the success of Nitisemito, other companies began the
production of clove-cigarettes. In Kudus, 32 kretek cigarette
home or small-scale industries were still productive in 1989. The
capacity of these producers stood at less than a million
cigarettes daily, as compared to large-scale companies' output of
over 50 million.

Today the largest and most influential kretek cigarette
industry in Kudus is Djarum, (founded by Oei Wie Gwan in 1951),
followed by Nojorono (Tjoa Kang Hay, 1932), Sukun (1948) and
Jambu Bol (1937). In East Java, major producers include Gudang
Garam, Wismilak, Sampoerna and Bentoel.

Resulting from the pivotal position of Kudus in the history of
kretek cigarettes, the Kretek Museum was constructed on a 4.5-
hectare plot of land in Getas Pejaten village, Jati district,
some three kilometers from Kudus.

The museum, built and managed by the Kudus Cigarette
Manufacturers Association (PPRK), officially belongs to the
regional administration. Nawawi Rusydi, from Jambu Bol and
chairman of PPRK, said the museum aimed to preserve historical
objects, particularly those related to the kretek cigarette's
development.

"This is the history of the kretek cigarette and worthy of
preservation. The museum exhibits the process of manufacturing in
a concise way, which we hope will instill a spirit of
entrepreneurship in young people in Kudus," he explained.

Nawawi Rusydi added that, apart from providing information on
the history of cigarettes, the museum was also a tourist
destination for those interested in history and science.

The initiative of Soepardjo Rustam, in his capacity as Central
Java governor in 1980, this treasure trove of cigarette
paraphernalia -- including miniatures of manufacturers and
tobacco growers -- was inspired by his tour of Kudus to observe
the cigarette factories.

Soeparjo saw potential, not only in terms of state revenue but
also in the higher rate of employment due to cigarette
production.

Half of the town's total area of 700,000 square meters was
occupied by kretek cigarette industries.

Every day in Kudus, factory workers flock to cigarette
industries early in the morning, and return home late in the
afternoon. The significance of cigarette production in Kudus is
not just displayed in the historic collection of its museum.

(The writer is a collector of cigarette packs and other
cigarette paraphernalia.)