The company was founded in 1855 by Maurice and Jacques Braunstein. Based in Paris, in 1882 the company built the Papeterie de Gassicourt, a cigarette paperproduction plant near the town of Mantes-la-Jolie. In 1894 they invented the process of "interleaving" rolling papers. They called their papers Zig-Zag after the zigzag alternating packaging process. In 1900, Zig-Zag was awarded a gold medal at the Universal Exposition in Paris. Success led to expansion in 1919 to a new mill in Thonon-les-Bains. During World War II, the company's original facility in Mantes-la-Jolie was destroyed and at war's end, all production was shifted to the Thonon factory. With the death of Jacques Braunstein, in the 1950s Zig-Zag was sold to a partnership of the Group Bolloré and competitor JOB. In 2000, Zig-Zag became part of Republic Technologies of which Group Bolloré owns 19 percent.
Captain Zig-Zag
The zouave soldier portrayed on the front of Zig-Zag products is colloquially known as the "Zig-Zag man". The choice of a member of this French North African regiment as a Zig-Zag icon originates from a folk story about an incident in the battle of Sevastopol. When the soldier's clay pipe was destroyed by a bullet, he attempted to roll his tobacco using a piece of paper torn from a musket cartridge. In an advertising campaign in the 1960s, Zig-Zag published leaflets with the zouave facing the viewer and the caption, "Captain Zig-Zag wants YOU!" The reason for using the rank of "captain" is unclear as the Zig-Zag man is portrayed in the fez and embroidered jacket of an ordinary zouave and is not an officer.
Counterfeit Zig-Zags
Although an inexpensive item, counterfeit Zig-Zags have been an issue throughout recent years with several cases of counterfeit sales—and legal action that has resulted the seizure of businesses, large multi-million dollar fines and criminal liability. Imitation Zig-Zags, which may look similar to authentic products, are of substandard quality but sold at regular price. In the case of a man arrested for trafficking counterfeit Zig-Zags in 2005, prosecutors claim his actions cost legitimate distributors approximately $1.8 million. According to attorneys at Venable LLP, Zig-Zag takes a "zero tolerance" stance on counterfeits. During 2015, successful counterfeit raids were conducted. Attorneys claim that they will continue to "prosecute known violators to the fullest extent of the law."
