Company: Gudang Garam Tbk PT

Brand value: US$1,939 million

Headquarter city: Kediri

Industry: Tobacco

Year formed: 1979

Full-flavor cigarette brand approaches 70^th anniversary

Surya is a popular brand of machine-rolled cigarette in the full-flavor segment of the tobacco market. A low-tar, low-nicotine variant called Surya Pro Mild is also produced under the Surya name. Both are part of the tobacco company Gudang Garam, which has been producing cigarettes in Indonesia since 1958, initially by hand and, at that time, often using dried corn husks as wrappers. Production of machine-rolled cigarettes began in 1979, but several hand-rolled varieties are still in production and those brands remain popular. The town of Kediri in Eastern Java has housed the Gudang Garam processing centre since the company began, and is reported to provide about 73 percent of the town’s income.

Cigarette advertising is highly restricted in Indonesia, but the tobacco category remains one of the biggest spenders on advertising in the country. Gudang Garam has been listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since 1990, but it remains majority-owned by the Wonowidjojo family that founded the business.