Zig Zag: История французской бумаги для самокруток

A brand of cigarette rolling papers

Zig Zag is a brand of rolling papers that originated in France. The Zig Zag brand produces primarily hand rolled tobacco related products such as cigarette rolling papers, cigarette tubes and rolling accessories.

The company was founded in 1855 by Maurice and Jacques Braunstein. Based in Paris, in 1882 the company built the Papeterie de Gassicourt, a cigarette paper production plant near the town of Mantes la Jolie. In 1894, they invented the process of "interleaving" rolling papers. They called their papers Zig Zag after the zigzag alternating packaging process. In 1900, Zig Zag was awarded a gold medal at the Universal Exposition in Paris. Success led to expansion in 1919 to a new mill in Thonon les Bains. During World War II, the company's original facility in Mantes la Jolie was destroyed and at war's end, all production was shifted to the Thonon factory. With the death of Jacques Braunstein, in the 1950s Zig Zag was sold to a partnership of the Group Bolloré and competitor JOB. In 2000, Zig Zag became part of Republic Technologies of which Group Bolloré owns 19 percent. In 2021, Zig Zag and Turning Point Brands, Inc. announced that they would be collaborating and launching a studio, Zig Zag Studios. Their focus is to a media platform featuring a wide range of artists, culture, art, and lifestyle content. In an advertising campaign in the 1960s, Zig Zag published leaflets with the zouave facing the viewer (much like Uncle Sam) and the caption, "Captain Zig Zag wants YOU!" The reason for using the rank of "captain" is unclear as the Zig Zag man is portrayed in the fez and embroidered jacket of an ordinary zouave and is not an officer.