Intersupply.
Podcast.
The industry to listen to
Insights, trends and voices from the world of tobacco and luxury food retail – compact, up-to-date and to the point.
Welcome to the official InterTabac Podcast!
Whether you are a specialist retailer, manufacturer or industry insider – our podcast brings the most important topics in the international tobacco industry directly to your ears. You can look forward to exciting discussions with experts, exclusive trade fair previews, market developments and background information on products, politics and innovations.
Stay informed – anytime, anywhere.
The current Highlights
Hugo Azinheira
Tobacco Asia’s Thomas Schmid interviews Hugo Azinheira, Executive Director for Global Research and Innovation at Filtrona, discussing the company’s ESG and SBTi commitments. Hugo marks 2025 as a turning point, with Filtrona transitioning from setting sustainability goals to executing them at scale. Key achievements include a 51% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, zero waste to landfill, 37% renewable electricity use, and EcoVadis Gold status. Hugo stresses that sustainability is embedded in daily operations across the company’s nine global manufacturing sites — not just annual reporting. Looking ahead, Filtrona plans to expand renewable energy, grow its plastic-free filter solutions portfolio, and also enter reduced-risk product categories.
Mark McQuillan, Nicobrand
Thomas Schmid interviews Mark McQuillan, the managing director of Nicobrand, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical-grade nicotine suppliers. McQuillan explains what truly qualifies nicotine as “pharmaceutical grade.” For instance, beyond basic monographs, it requires regulatory audits, drug master files, and strict impurity controls. McQuillan argues that all next-generation products like pouches and e-liquids should use pharma-grade nicotine to ensure consumer safety. The global nicotine market is roughly 1,000–1,500 metric tons annually, with nicotine pouches growing fastest. McQuillan also stresses the importance of supply chain transparency and correcting the widespread misconception that nicotine itself causes cancer.
Dr. Charles Gardner
In this episode, Thomas Schmid speaks with developmental neurobiologist Dr. Charles A. Gardner about the demonization of nicotine. Gardner explains that nicotine has been wrongly conflated with tobacco and smoking, leading to widespread misinformation — including 80% of US physicians falsely believing nicotine causes cancer.
Gardner argues that safer alternatives like vapes, pouches, and snus are vital harm reduction tools, yet prohibitionist policies often ban them while leaving deadly cigarettes legal. Prohibition, he notes, drives products underground and worsens outcomes.
Gardner also highlights nicotine’s potential health benefits: helping prevent Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, reducing symptoms of ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, BPD, and schizophrenia, improving focus, and decreasing anxiety.
To shift public perception, he advocates amplifying voices of older ex-smokers who quit cigarettes by using reduced risk products, echoing strategies from cannabis activism. His core message: nicotine is not the enemy — preventable deaths from combustible cigarettes are. Policy should prioritize harm reduction over demonizing a molecule.
Waqas Khan, Clew
Thomas Schmid interviews Waqas Khan, global CEO of Clew, discussing how the nicotine pouch brand became the world’s third-largest by distribution in just two and a half years. Khan attributes this rapid success to building a complete manufacturing ecosystem with pharma-grade facilities and prioritizing quality over cost. The brand has launched in 50 countries across five regional hubs, customizing products for local taste preferences.
A major achievement has been penetrating the travel retail sector, with Clew now present in over 15 duty-free locations worldwide. Khan explains how the brand pioneered nicotine pouch listings in challenging markets like Thailand by working directly with regulators and demonstrating FDA authorization. The conversation also covers recent expansions into Colombia, Sweden, Morocco, and the Philippines, plus insights on navigating complex regulatory environments in markets like Japan and China’s evolving nicotine regulations.
You can always find more episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
