Borkum Riff

The tobacco "Borkum Riff" was launched in Sweden in the 1960s. It was a rough cut blend of Virginia and Burley tobacco.

The tobacco blend had been developed by Bertil Sandegård with an eye on the American pipe tobacco market. Initial sales were sluggish, but when Borkum Riff's Bourbon Whiskey blend was successfully introduced in the United States in 1969, sales increased. Since then, new flavors and new packaging have been introduced. Today, Borkum Riff is also sold in India, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, France, Italy, Germany and in several other markets around the world. However, Borkum Riff's biggest market is still the USA. Today, Borkum Riff, which is manufactured in Denmark for Swedish Match, is the third largest tobacco producer on the Swedish market. In 2011, Borkum Riff's owner changed to Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

Borkum Riff was a lighthouse located at 53° 58' N and 6° 22' E in Heligoland Bay off the Dutch coast in the North Sea. It was a landmark for sailors and was well known to Swedish radio listeners, as weather reports mentioned Borkum Riff several times a day. The former lighthouse named Borkum Riff was used from 1960 to 1964 as Radio Veronica's first radio vessel, which became the first offshore radio station in the Netherlands. The ship in Borkum Riff's company logo originates from a 17th century engraving made by Johann Baptist Homann.