Germain, who makes Esoterica, also make their own line of blends, Smoker's Haven. and Balkan Sobranie. They are a small producer with a small factory in a small town on a small island. They have been doing it this way for nearly 200 years. This limits their yearly production. Why would they make a radical change, and incurr the inherent risks of expansion, in a shrinking industry? During the last 20 to 40-years, all of the major U.K. producers consolidated and then went out of business. Part of the high demand for Esoterica is that Germain is the only one left who still produces with the old U.K. Quality Standards. The last 10 years has seen a shortage on the market but with the industry in decline then it makes little economic sense for them to invest in more capital (e.g. Machines, bigger factory etc) just because of a medium term increase in demand. So far, they have survived quite well using this business model.