Dan Pipe

thumb|Dan Pipe Retail Shop and Tobacco Production facility in Launbergthumb|Dan Pipe Sales room and staff, from 2013 CatalogDan Pipe, currently of Lauenburg, Germany was founded in 1972 by Heiko Behrens in Geesthacht, a small town east of Hamburg. The original catalog carried pipes by Former, Emil Chonowitsch, Poul Hansen and soon added the Torben Dansk tobacco line to its products. In 1978 the company changed its name to Danske Pibe, but in 1991 returned to the original name of Dan Tobacco when the tobacco production factory was built in Lauenberg. The business has moved several times, most recently when the pipe shop in Hamburg was destroyed by fire in 2001, and moved into the tobacco production facilities in Lauenberg.
The following is from the 2013 Dan Pipe Catalog:
thumb|Cover of the 2013 Dan Pipe Catalog. See the entire 180 page catalog [https://pipedia.org/images/4/40/DP-2013-E.pdf Here], courtesy Doug Valitchka Dear friends of joyful smoking,
before you make your way through our 2013 assortment, please allow some words to introduce ourselves to you and to give you a brief summary of DAN PIPE‘s history.
When in the early 1970s pipe smoking had reached its popularity peak, Heiko Behrens, student of educational science and addicted pipe smoker had the idea of importing Danish handmade pipes to earn some extra money to cover his tuition fees. He set up a small mail order company and named it DAN PIPE. The first catalogue came out in 1972. In those days, Danish pipe artists had only just started to become famous in Germany. Heiko Behrens’ intention was to make them more popular among his fellow pipe enthusiasts. Among the pipemakers first featured in DAN PIPE’s assortment you would find illustrious names like Emil Chonowitsch (the father of Jes Chonowitsch), „Former“ and the late Poul Hansen.
In 1975, the catalogue’s assortment, by then also offering English and French brand pipes, was extended by a choice of exclusive pipe tobaccos and imported cigars. Due to trademark rights conflicts, the company had to change its name and, until 1991 traded under the name of DANSKE PIBE.
In 1976 the company moved to Hamburg. On this occasion Holger Frickert, looking for a holiday job during his dentistry studies, first worked for the company setting up the interior construction and decoration of the new DANSKE PIBE residence and tobacconist shop. When in 1977 the managing director’s job became vacant Holger Frickert, dissatisfied with the prospects of being a dentist, quit his university studies and decided to take on that job. With his interest and talent in artistic crafts and graphics he put his main efforts in the production of the annually printed catalogues, the creation of tobacco lables and set up his own pipe workshop for a small production of handmade pipes first presented in the catalogue in 1984. In 1985 DANSKE PIBE moved to the „Grashof“, a huge 18th century thatched farm house which remained the company’s residence for over 16 years, with mail order branch and pipe shop in a rustic ambience and a large workshop underneath the roof.
To improve and extend the range of privte label tobaccos, it was decided to set up an own tobacco factory, which was installed in an ancient malt mill building in Lauenburg east of Hamburg in 1991. The new company was named DAN TOBACCO (DTM), and ac-ordingly DANSKE PIBE returned to its original name DAN PIPE. Thanks to the experience of tobacco blender Jürgen Westphal, production results improved rapidly. Today, the range of blends has reached a number of far beyond 100 pipe tobacco varieties covering the classic Latakia blends as well as Virginia flakes and also an number of highly aromatic floral or fruit flavour mixtures.
When in 1996 the enormous cigar boom in the USA had reached the European continent, DAN PIPE decided to print an extra catalogue for cigars and cigar smokers accessories. The cigar catalogue „Cigar & Company“ offers a wide range of high quality and custom made cigars reaching from handmade original Havanas and various Caribbean brands to European cigars from Holland and Germany. Cigars are stored „comme il faut“ in air conditioned humidor rooms where also customers have access to make their choice.
In autumn 2001 an arsonist set fire to the „Grashof“ and office, shop, warehouse and workshop were completely destroyed. Luckily, we were properly insured, computer files had been regularly secured and, a piece of luck as well, space for a new start could immediately be provided within the DTM Tobacco Manufactory‘s walls in Lauenburg. Thanks to all staff members great efforts and dedication, DAN PIPE took up mail order activities again only five weks later. The pipe shop was re-installed and the pipe workshop was refitted with new machinery. Today, this location has gained great popularity again as a versatile, competent and attractive focal point among pipe smokers from near and far.
=== Onsite Links ===
*See the Complete 2013 Dan Pipe Catalog in PDF, courtesy Doug Valitchka.
=== Offsite Links ===
Dan Pipe Der Katalog 2015
Contact Information:
 Hafenstr. 30
 21481 Lauenburg
 Germany
 Phone number +49 4153 59890
 Business website: http://www.danpipe.de
 http://www.pipetobacco.de
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danpipe.de
Category:Tobacconists
Category:Pipe makers by nationality
Category:Germany