Hookah Moldova from the inside: Tatiana Furtuna on business, tastes and her path

1. Tell us about yourself. How long have you been working in the hookah industry? How did you start your journey and what is your current position at your current company?

My name is Tatiana Furtuna. I was born in Glodany, in the north of Moldova.

I have been working in the hookah industry for six years now. Today, I can confidently call myself an expert in this field. During this time, I went through many difficult and unusual situations and watched the Moldovan hookah market develop. We have overcome many difficulties, grown professionally and learned to truly understand the quality of the product.

I started my journey literally from scratch. Up to 40 years old I didn’t smoke cigarettes, hookah, or IQOS. In the early years, I studied the industry mainly theoretically: I got acquainted with products, brands, technologies and market features.

My first memorable hookah experience was the taste of Milky Mouse from Element. At first, it was not easy for me to smoke hookah, but the combination of Fir and Green Skittles flavors really surprised me. That’s when I realized how multifaceted, unusual and interesting hookah culture can be.

For me, hookah is not just the process of smoking. He opened up a new area for me, in which I found inspiration, calmness and pleasure from the process itself.

I am currently the director of Hookah Market SRL in the Republic of Moldova.

2. Tell us more about Hookah Market SRL. What brands do you bring to Moldova from other countries?

Company Hookah Market SRL started as a joint project with my brother Octavian Furtuna. After a while, he handed over the management of the company to me and moved away from the hookah business.

We started with such tobacco brands how Element and then I already started importing MANTERRA and the next product in the portfolio will be DOGMA. We also bring One Nation coal and BlackCoco, Hoob, Embery and Cosmo brand products Bowl, as well as a wide range of high-quality hookah accessories.

3. Do you think hookah lovers in Moldova smoke more often at home or visit hookah lounges?

In my opinion, hookah lovers in Moldova visit lounges more often. For many, hookah is not only the product itself, but also the atmosphere, communication, high-quality service and the opportunity to try interesting author ‘s combinations.

4. How many hookah bars (or hookah restaurants) are there in Moldova? Can you estimate this number? 200 / 500 / 1 000 / 10 000?

According to my rough estimate, there are about 1,000 hookah establishments in Moldova .

5. How many hookah shops or tobacco shops sell hookah tobacco in Moldova? Can you estimate this number?

Approximately 100 specialty stores and tobacco outlets sell hookah tobacco in Moldova.

6. How popular do you think hookah culture is in your country? Can you estimate how many tons of tobacco your country consumes annually?

Hookah culture in Moldova is quite popular and continues to develop. As for the annual volume of tobacco consumption, this information is confidential, so I cannot give specific figures.

7. Can you name the most popular flavors of hookah tobacco in your country? For example: berry or cream?

Dessert, sour and berry flavors are the most popular. There is also a steady interest in herbaceous and unusual, experimental combinations.

7.1. What is the average retail price of hookah tobacco 50 g in your country? The legal price and the price on the black market. Is there a large black market for hookah tobacco in your country ?

In Moldova, hookah tobacco is more often presented in packages of 25 grams. The average legal retail price of such packaging is from 60 Moldovan lei.

I work exclusively in the legal segment of the market, so I do not have reliable information about prices and sales volumes on the black market.

8. Have you ever seen a competition HookahBattle? For example, those that we hold at exhibitions around the world, or our online shows such as the Lounge Design Award– an online competition for hookah bars. What do you think of them? https://www.youtube.com/user/hookahbattle

Yes, I am familiar with the Hookah Battle projects. It is interesting for me to watch such competitions, especially when the participants demonstrate creativity, professionalism and an unconventional approach. Such projects contribute to the development of hookah culture, help to share experiences and introduce new ideas to the audience.

9. Can you name your 3 favorite brands and 3 favorite flavors of hookah tobacco?

My favorite brands – DOGMA, Tangiers and Afzal.

Among my favorite scents, I especially highlight Afzal’s Pan Raas – for me it’s really bright and memorable taste. I also like other flavors with Pan

I would like to mention the Moldovan brand KAJA, which holds a special place for me.

10. Would you like to share a message with members of our community who are planning a trip to Moldova?

We will be glad to welcome you to Moldova and introduce you to our hookah culture! To contact me and get additional information:

+ 373 693 12 162 FURTUNA TATIANA

mail@narghilea.md