Thunder Xtreme Snus brand Discontinued
Swedish Match North America (SMNA) announced this week it will be delisting all five Thunder Xtreme snus products effective 15 April 2020. The affected products are:
- Thunder Xtreme Original
- Thunder Xtreme Original Strong
- Thunder Xtreme Mint Strong
- Thunder Xtreme Wintergreen Strong
- Thunder Xtreme Red Strong
The Thunder brand came to Swedish Match when they acquired Danish snus maker V2 Tobacco and were available for use in the US thanks to the foresight of V2 Tobacco’s former owners, Patrick and Marc Vogel.
Thunder Xtreme Snus is no more
When the Tobacco Control Act was passed in 2009, V2 registered a number of product names with FDA. Under the grandfather clause, these names are legal for use today.
This was a huge bonus for Swedish Match when they purchased V2 in September 2017. It’s easy to look back now and say that Swedish Match should have done the same with their eligible product names and brands but those were very confusing times for the tobacco industry.
Swedish Match used the Thunder Xtreme brand to expand its US OTC market snus offerings from the limited General Snus products FDA had had approved for sale. Both brands were sold by American convenience stores, tobacco stores and in the case of Xtreme, by a limited number of snus store websites based in Sweden for US customers.
While General Snus was, and as of this date, the only brand of snus to receive the coveted FDA Modified Risk Tobacco Product certification in the US, the Thunder Xtreme Strong snuses were the only products available in American stores with strong nicotine levels.
The timing of the Thunder Xtreme products introduction was unfortunate as it was in the middle of the then-unregulated e-cigarette and vaping boom. Sales apparently have remained lackluster to the point Swedish Match has decided to cancel the Xtreme brand.
Product orders from authorized dealers will continue through 15 April 2020 or as supplies last.
LARRY WATERS
Swedish Snus Ambassador to the United States
Reporting for SnusCENTRAL.org
About author
You might also like
The Mystery Company behind the All White Snus Revolution
More All White Nicotine Pouches Coming The SnusCENTRAL Intelligence Agency (SnusCIA) has intercepted communications indicating new strategic collaborations in the All White Snus arena.
What FDA MRTP Status for General Snus Really Means
On a Monday conference call with FDA, Swedish Match US was blind-sided. FDA said there could be good news concerning the Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) application for General Snus
US Cities Banning Wintergreen and Mint Smokeless Tobacco AND Snus
The calls for banning flavored nicotine-containing products has been primarily a long and vocal one when it comes to vapor and e-cigarettes. Poking out of the eSmoke debate is a