Japan Tobacco Inc. will double its production capacity of the smokeless tobacco it introduced last month after the product has proved a smash hit amid tougher controls on smoking, the company said.
Zerostyle Mint smokeless tobacco, which JT released exclusively in Tokyo, has been scarce in shops recently, the company said Tuesday.
It now plans to double its production capacity from the current 500,000 packs a month to 1 million packs by setting up a new manufacturing line at its factory in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture. As a result, the supply shortage is expected to be resolved by the fall, JT said.
The new snuff tobacco product has a replaceable cartridge containing tobacco leaves and a mouthpiece. A single cartridge usually lasts between half a day to one full day, JT said.