Dji Sam Soe

Dji Sam Soe is an Indonesian kretek cigarette brand with origins in Surabaya, East Java, dating to 1913. The brand was introduced by Liem Seeng Tee, whose tobacco enterprise became the forerunner of the Sampoerna business. Its name comes from a Hokkien expression meaning “Two Three Four,” a phrase that became central to the brand’s identity. Dji Sam Soe belongs to Indonesia’s kretek tradition, in which tobacco is blended with cloves. When burned, the cloves produce the characteristic crackling sound associated with kretek cigarettes. The clove component also contains eugenol, a substance discussed in relation to the smoke chemistry of kretek products. The brand developed during the early expansion of Indonesia’s modern tobacco industry. Production took place through a factory in Surabaya, and the product became associated with hand-rolled cigarettes using white paper. Its traditional packaging is distinctive: cigarettes are arranged in stretched packs described as being two cigarettes long and ten cigarettes wide. This format, together with the brand name and the white cigarette paper, helped differentiate Dji Sam Soe from other tobacco products in the Indonesian market. Dji Sam Soe’s early commercial history is connected with the growth of Liem Seeng Tee’s tobacco operations. In 1916, he reportedly acquired tobacco from a trader who had become bankrupt, an event associated with the accumulation of materials and business capacity that supported later expansion. By 1940, sales had grown substantially, with reported production reaching approximately three million sticks. The workforce involved in rolling Dji Sam Soe cigarettes was reportedly increased to about 1,300 people, illustrating the labor-intensive character of traditional kretek manufacturing at the time. During the 1990s, the brand extended beyond its traditional hand-rolled format. It developed Dji Sam Soe Fatsal-9, a machine-made kretek alternative that reduced the stated tar level by six milligrams to 33 milligrams. This represented a product-format and product-specification change while retaining the Dji Sam Soe name. The development occurred during a period when the Sampoerna tobacco business was becoming more institutionally and commercially expansive, including capital-market activity and the establishment of an overseas subsidiary, Transmarco, in Singapore. The brand also pursued export growth. In 1995, Dji Sam Soe expanded export sales to Malaysia and Myanmar, with distribution and export activity described as intensive. These markets broadened the brand’s reach beyond Indonesia while keeping its core identity tied to Indonesian kretek manufacturing. The available historical material does not establish a complete current distribution map, detailed ownership structure, present-day product portfolio, or current executive roster. Dji Sam Soe is best understood as a long-running Sampoerna-associated kretek brand whose history combines traditional hand-rolled production, later machine-made product development, and regional export expansion.

Dji Sam Soe emerged from the tobacco enterprise established by Liem Seeng Tee in Surabaya, East Java. The brand was introduced in 1913, the same year associated with the establishment of Handel Matschappij Liem Seeng Tee NV, described as a forerunner of the Sampoerna business. Its name, derived from Hokkien and meaning “Two Three Four,” gave the product a distinctive linguistic and cultural identity within Indonesia’s developing cigarette market. The brand formed part of the Indonesian kretek tradition. Kretek had developed from the practice of mixing tobacco with cloves, producing a crackling sound when the cigarette burned. This production tradition was already associated with Kudus by the late nineteenth century, before Dji Sam Soe was introduced in Surabaya. Dji Sam Soe used this clove-and-tobacco format and became associated with white-paper cigarettes sold in elongated packs arranged two cigarettes along one dimension and ten along the other. An account of the company’s early growth places an important transaction in 1916, when Liem Seeng Tee bought tobacco from a tobacco trader who had gone bankrupt. The purchase is presented as part of the business development that enabled subsequent expansion. By 1940, Dji Sam Soe’s reported production had reached three million sticks. The number of workers rolling the cigarettes was increased to approximately 1,300, reflecting the scale of manual production and the importance of labor in the pre-mechanized or partly mechanized kretek industry. The brand later adapted to changing manufacturing and product conditions. During the 1990s, it introduced Dji Sam Soe Fatsal-9 as a machine-made kretek alternative. The product was described as reducing the tar level by six milligrams, to 33 milligrams. This extension allowed the Dji Sam Soe name to be used in a more industrially manufactured format while maintaining its connection to kretek. The 1990s also brought broader corporate and geographic activity around the Sampoerna tobacco business. After PT HM Sampoerna entered the stock exchange, the company established Transmarco in Singapore as an overseas subsidiary, according to contemporary reporting cited in the reference material. In 1995, Dji Sam Soe export sales expanded to Malaysia and Myanmar, and distribution and export activity intensified. The available sources mention wider business discussions involving Myanmar and other Indonesian business figures, but they do not provide enough information to establish a direct corporate relationship between those matters and the Dji Sam Soe brand. The supplied reference material does not provide a detailed account of the brand’s later ownership, present product variants, current markets, advertising history, or named executives. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest for the period from its 1913 introduction through its early manufacturing growth, 1990s product adaptation, and regional export expansion. Dji Sam Soe’s historical significance lies in its continuity as a Sampoerna-associated Indonesian kretek label and in the way it illustrates the movement from labor-intensive cigarette rolling toward machine-made formats and cross-border distribution.

• 1995

  Exports expanded to Malaysia and Myanmar

  [1]Dji Sam Soeen.wikipedia.org

  Dji Sam Soe intensified export sales and distribution activity in Malaysia and Myanmar.

• 1940

  Production and rolling workforce grew

  [1]Dji Sam Soeen.wikipedia.org

  Reported production reached three million sticks, while the number of workers rolling Dji Sam Soe cigarettes increased to approximately 1,300.

• 1916

  Tobacco business expanded through an acquisition

  [1]Dji Sam Soeen.wikipedia.org

  Liem Seeng Tee reportedly purchased tobacco from a trader who had become bankrupt, an event associated with the development of the business behind the brand.

• 1913

  Brand introduced in Surabaya

  [1]Dji Sam Soeen.wikipedia.org

  Liem Seeng Tee introduced Dji Sam Soe in Surabaya, East Java. The year is also associated with the establishment of Handel Matschappij Liem Seeng Tee NV, a forerunner of the Sampoerna tobacco business.

A heritage Indonesian kretek brand associated with traditional hand-rolled cigarettes, distinctive stretched packaging, the Dji Sam Soe name, and later machine-made product extensions.

• Hand-rolled kretek cigarette · 1913

  Dji Sam Soe traditional kretek

  The traditional Dji Sam Soe product is a clove-flavored kretek cigarette associated with manual rolling and white-colored cigarette paper. Its cigarettes are sold in a distinctive stretched pack described as two cigarettes long and ten cigarettes wide. The combination of tobacco, cloves, packaging format, and the Dji Sam Soe name forms the core of the brand’s heritage identity.

• Machine-made kretek cigarette · 1990

  Dji Sam Soe Fatsal-9

  Dji Sam Soe Fatsal-9 was a machine-made extension introduced during the 1990s. The product retained the Dji Sam Soe brand while presenting a manufactured alternative to the traditional hand-rolled format. Contemporary reference material describes a six-milligram reduction in tar content, resulting in a stated level of 33 milligrams.

• 1995

  Regional export expansionStrategy

  Background

  The Sampoerna business was intensifying overseas activity during the 1990s, including the use of an overseas subsidiary in Singapore.

  Action taken

  Dji Sam Soe expanded export sales and distribution activity into Malaysia and Myanmar.

  Aftermath

  The expansion broadened the brand’s documented reach beyond Indonesia, although the available source does not provide later market-share or revenue results.

  Source

• 1990

  Introduction of Dji Sam Soe Fatsal-9Product launch

  Background

  During the 1990s, the brand developed an alternative to its traditional hand-rolled kretek format as cigarette production became more mechanized.

  Action taken

  Dji Sam Soe introduced Fatsal-9 as a machine-made kretek product and reduced the stated tar level by six milligrams to 33 milligrams.

  Aftermath

  The move extended the Dji Sam Soe name into a machine-made product format. The available material does not document the product’s subsequent sales or current status.

  Source

1. 1Dji Sam Soeen.wikipedia.org