COMPANY HISTORY OF SAMPOERNA

PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna Tbk. (“PT HM Sampoerna”) traces its origin to Liem Seeng Tee, a Chinese immigrant who founded the Company in 1913. At his home in Surabaya, Indonesia, he began producing and selling hand-rolled kretek cigarettes, named after the crackling sound they make as they burn.

His small company was among the first to manufacture and market kretek as well as non-clove cigarettes on a commercial basis.By the early 1930’s, Liem Seeng Tee had changed his family name and the name of his company to Sampoerna (Indonesian for “perfect”).

World War II, and the occupation of Indonesia by the Japanese, saw the internment of Seeng Tee and the closure of his business.However, by 1959, three years after the passing of Seeng Tee, and in the aftermath of Indonesia’s struggle for independence, PT HM Sampoerna was once more on the verge of closure. In that year, Aga Sampoerna (Seeng Tee’s second son) was appointed to lead the company, and succeeded in reestablishing and rebuilding the company.