PT Perusahaan Rokok Tjap Gudang Garam Tbk (
Republican spelling Indonesian for "Salt Warehouse brand Cigarette Company plc"),
trading as
A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...
PT Gudang Garam Tbk, is an Indonesian tobacco company, best known for its ''
kretek'' (clove cigarette) products. It is Indonesia's largest tobacco manufacturer, with a market share of nearly 33%. The company was founded on 26 June 1958 by Tjoa Ing Hwie, who changed his name to
Surya Wonowidjojo (1923–1985). In 1984, control of the company was passed to Wonowidjojo's son, Cai Daoheng/Tjoa To Hing (
Rachman Halim), who subsequently became the richest man in Indonesia. Halim headed the company until his death at the age of 60 in 2008.
History
Wonowidjojo was in his 20s when his uncle offered him a job working with tobacco and sauce at his ''
kretek'' factory, Cap 93. Cap 93 was one of the most famous ''kretek'' brands in
East Java
East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
. Hard work and diligence were rewarded by promotion to Head of Tobacco and Sauce, which eventually led to Wonowidjojo becoming a
company director
A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency.
The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...
.
Wonowidjojo left Cap 93 in 1956, taking 50 employees with him. He started buying land and raw materials in
Kediri and soon began producing his own ''klobot kretek'', which he marketed under the brand name ''Inghwie''. Two years later, he renamed and registered his company as ''Pabrik Rokok Tjap Gudang Garam''.
He chose the name Gudang Garam after a dream about the old salt warehouse which stood opposite Cap 93. Sarman, one of the original 50 employees who had followed him when he quit Cap 93, suggested he put a picture of the warehouse on every packet of his ''kretek'' for good luck. Wonowidjojo considered this a good idea and asked Sarman to design the
logo
A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...
, commenting: "We should leave two doors open, two half-opened, and one closed. If all the doors were closed, we would feel that everything had already been achieved."
Gudang Garam grew rapidly, and by the end of 1958, it had 500 employees producing over 50 million kretek annually. By 1966, after only eight years in production, Gudang Garam had grown to be the largest ''kretek'' factory in Indonesia, with an annual production of 472 million sticks. Consumers have noted Gudang Garam's, particularly the Inghwies, similar smell to alcoholic beverages.
By 1969, Gudang Garam was producing 864 million sticks a year and was indisputably the largest ''kretek'' producer in Indonesia and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.
In 1979, Wonowidjojo completely renovated Gudang Garam's production system, ordered thirty rolling machines, and developed a new formula for his machine-made ''kretek''.
Rival companies tried to discredit the brand by claiming its contents included marijuana in addition to cloves and tobacco. The company has the distinction of being the largest single employer in Indonesia and Taiwan.
Products
Hand kretek cigarettes
* Gudang Garam Merah
* Gudang Garam Djaja
* Gudang Garam Special Deluxe King Size
* Gudang Garam Patra
* Gudang Garam International Kretek
* Gudang Garam Signature Kretek
* Taman Sriwedari Kretek
* Surya Nusantara
** Surya Nusantara Raya
Machine-made kretek cigarettes
* Gudang Garam International Filter
* Gudang Garam Signature
** Gudang Garam Signature Mild
* Surya
** Surya 12
** Surya 16
** Surya Exclusive
** Surya Pro
*** Surya Pro Mild
* GG Mild
* GG Shiver
* GG Move
Machine white cigarettes
Note: These machine white cigarettes are produced by PT Halim Wonowidjojo, which is an affiliated company of Gu.
Klobot kretek cigarettes
* Gudang Garam Klobot Manis
Other interests
Gudang Garam owns one of the top five badminton clubs of Indonesia. Suryanaga Gudang Garam is based in the capital city of East Java, Surabaya.
References
Holding Times
External links
*
{{Authority control
1958 establishments in Indonesia
1990 initial public offerings
Companies based in Kediri (city)
Companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange
Companies in the LQ45
Indonesian brands
Manufacturing companies established in 1958
Tobacco companies of Indonesia
Wonowidjojo family