The company was founded in
Istanbul by Greek tobacco trader Basil Muratoglu, in 1821. He moved the company to Western Europe in the 1880s, after the Ottoman Empire monopolized the tobacco industry—in 1885 the company was established in
Berlin,
Germany, and in 1887 in
London,
Great Britain. Until 1939, the German army administration seized the entire production site in Köpenicker Straße. Muratti had to move to commander road number 20. Three years later, however, the Nazis completely shut down the factory, and at the end of the war, all the tobacco in the city was consumed. The Berliners were lining up for a pack of
"Sondermischung", and on the black market a stick of American cigarettes cost 1,000 Reichsmarks. The English company ended up under
Philip Morris International. The German brand was bought by Martin Brinkmann in 1960, and now belongs to
British American Tobacco. Muratti cigarettes are sold in three varieties, Rosso, Chiaro and Zaffiro, all packaged in pichular packaging and featuring a slim profile. In November 1991, cigarettes which were
"too strong" for the Italian market were to be banned in the coming months, and all cigarette brands were to be lowered in tar and nicotine. A Muratti Ariston Filter cigarette contained 14 mg of tar at the time. In December 1991, the distribution of the brands
Marlboro,
Merit and Muratti were suspended in Italy for one month due to problems with counterfeit cigarettes. In February 1992, a third tax in 14 months was put on cigarettes in Italy, increasing the price of cigarettes by 50 or 100
Lira. A pack of Muratti Ambassador cost 3550 Lira at the time. In January 2016, cigarette prices in Italy went up by 20 cents, and a pack of Muratti Ambassador Blu went from €5,20 to €5,40. As of May 2023, the price of one pack of Muratti Ambassador is €6,20, regardless of the variety. ==Advertisement==