A Funny Story About Global Trade

ohboy

ohboy

Project QL Intern
May 27, 2008
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I don't usually share stories that I've heard, the last I did being a pair of news stories that I felt had to be shared. However, I heard something about the brand of mints called Altoids that I thought would also be a good chuckle, and is something I learned in a class. I also sort of wanted confirmation on this story from somebody like leaper1, who lives in England.

The makers of Altoids base their operation in England. However, Altoids are made solely to be shipped to the United States. The problem though, is that while Altoids are made in England, they are not sold by the company in England. Therefore, if somebody in England wants to buy a tin of Altoid mints, they have to actually buy it from a market in the U.S. that exports it BACK to England.

Is this true? It sounds like something that could be, but I don't know for sure.
 
is that true, that I heard about australian oil? They export high quality australian oil for good money and then import a cheaper kind? I can see where that works economically but ecologically it's nonsense to ship all that dangerous oil around.. not to mention the polution created by doing so...
"oh, the foolishness"
 
I can't speak with any real authority on this, despite being a Brit.
All I can say is that if my Swiss cheese memory serves, my mother and my grandparents used to have Altoids tins when I was really young, but I don't recall seeing any for many years.
I'll ask Mum tomorrow what she remembers.
If we want 'extra strong mints' now [although personally I can't touch them because menthol aggravates my asthma,] we would probably buy Trebor in a tube. 'Trebor mints are a minty bit stronger!' as the ad promises.
It wouldn't surprise me at all to find that something made here can't be bought here. Tis a crazy crazy world we live in! :banghead
 
leaper1 said:
If we want 'extra strong mints' now [although personally I can't touch them because menthol aggravates my asthma,]
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Oh, that's interesting. It seems to have the opposite effect on me. Mint seems to improve my breathing--at least I notice that my breathing is better when I brush my teeth with mint toothpaste. I never eat mints though because the flavor just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I should try it...

Not to derail this thread though. I wouldn't be surprised if the story about Altoids is true. Some products are made specifically for export.
 
Altoids aren't necessarily manufactured in Great Britian anymore. Although they are still manufactured under the brand name Callard & Bowser-Suchard, the brand is owned by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. In a 2005 press release, Wrigley announced that they'd be moving the manufacture of Altoids to their newly acquired plant in Chattanooga, TN (http://www.wrigley.com/press/detail.do?id=724792).

Darrell Splithoff, the Company's Senior Vice President - Worldwide Supply Chain, said Wrigley plans to move production of popular Altoids mints to Chattanooga from Wales. The 161,000-square-foot Chattanooga factory currently employs approximately 140 full-time employees and up to 100 temporary workers.

"As we looked at locations where we could manufacture Altoids in the U.S. where product demand is strongest, Chattanooga emerged as the clear leader," Splithoff said. "The facility's strong quality record, experienced employees, and excellent location in terms of distribution made Chattanooga a natural choice for Altoids, and we are excited about adding our presence to Tennessee."
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I didn't know that. Thanks for the information, Jmoinz. I've said it before, but I do learn something almost everyday on this forum.
 
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