Rizla, Raw, Zig Zag, everyone has a favourite brand or type of rolling paper. Did you know the origins of this simple smoking tool?
Frenchman Pierre Lacroix developed fine paper for rolling cigarettes in 1660 but it was not until 1796 that his family fortune would take off. A license to produce papers for the army of Napoleon would be the start of a rolling paper empire.
By 1865, the company started making paper with rice, which provides the brand name – ‘riz’ is French for rice, and ‘la’ is a shortening of Lacroix, with the cross (croix) indicated figuratively on the logo. Although many users think of licking the papers to seal the cigarette as part of the experience, it wasn’t until 1942 that a strip of gum was added.
In this modern day we have access to a multitude of top brands with Raw becoming a firm favourite in the cannabis industry due to their method of plant based manufacturing. Raw was created in 1995 by Josh Kesselman and has become a cultural brand icon for many smokers. When you have a brand that can be described in one word in many languages you have the makings of a global success.
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