The ZYN Shortage 2024 Explained

ZYN is one of the most popular nicotine pouch brands in the world. But recently, it’s been hitting the news headlines for something other than its domination of the market — the ZYN shortage.

The short story here is that US demand for the pouches is so high that production can’t keep up, resulting in a lack of supply until the manufacturer can expand its capacity. For the long story, keep reading this article.

Note: We don’t ship ZYN to the US. Those who are based in the US and want to know how the current situation will affect them can check out this guide to the ZYN shortage.

Why Is There a Shortage?

By most accounts, 2024 has been ZYN’s year. It has been the most popular nicotine pouch brand in the US for a while now, but 2024 took things to new heights.

Parent company Philip Morris International (PMI) sold 80% more cans in Q1 2024 than it managed in Q1 2023, representing an impressive increase.

So impressive in fact, that the demand reached a point where supply couldn’t keep up.

Around May, social media users across the US started to notice that their local shops were running out of ZYN. At first, the shortage only seemed to affect certain states, but it has since become a nationwide phenomenon.

Earlier in the year, Philip Morris had commented that it was experiencing tensions on the supply chain, although the firm declined to comment on the shortage specifically.

This situation only affects the US — we’ll explain why shortly.

When Will Things Return to Normal?

While many US pouch users have been alarmed to see their favorite products suddenly replaced by empty shelves, the good news is that the shortage has a simple solution: increasing production.

PMI has confirmed plans to open up a new US ZYN factory in Aurora, Colorado. This will massively upscale its production.

It’s not an immediate fix, with regular production not set to begin until 2026. But PMI has also upped its manufacturing in Kentucky in the meantime by amending its production processes.

The company has sold far more cans this year than it did in 2023, showing its commitment to try and keep pace with demand.

What About the ZYN Factory Fire?

Somewhat confusingly, the US ZYN shortage hit the US a couple of months after a fire took place at the ZYN factory in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Reportedly, the fire started at around 06:30 am and was extinguished by 8 am. Shortly after, Swedish Match stated there would be no risk of a shortage due to the fire, although it’s unclear exactly what happened or what damage was caused.

Most significantly, the current shortage only affects the US, but the Gothenburg factory only produces pouches for the non-US market.

There’s therefore no connection between the shortage and the factory fire.

Does the Shortage Affect the Rest of the World?

As touched on already, ZYN products for the US market are not made in the same factory as those from the rest of the world.

The factory in Owensboro, Kentucky produces nicotine pouches solely for US customers, while Gothenburg handles production for the rest of the world.

Some might be concerned that the shortage could prompt PMI to switch up their operations and use Gothenburg to produce more pouches for the US. This would then have a knock-on effect on the European supply.

However, this is very unlikely to happen. ZYN nicotine pouches sold outside the US might share a brand name with those available in the states. But they don’t even have the same flavors, and they differ in other crucial elements (such as moisture content and can design).

Therefore, the factories will remain separate, and non-Americans don’t need to worry about the shortage affecting them.

Is it Still Possible to Buy ZYN in the US?

There might be a shortage, but PMI is still producing impressive quantities of ZYN. In fact, it expects to sell 580 million cans in 2024!

However, most people have been forced to change their consumption habits somewhat, whether that means buying from somewhere different, opting for a new flavor, or choosing a different brand entirely.

Many people in the US have found their local shops no longer stock their flavor of choice, and that only the less popular taste profiles are available. In some cases, there are no ZYNs available at all for them. This varies between states.

Some customers are turning to online retailers to get a more consistent supply, and most have imposed temporary purchasing restrictions so they can spread out limited stock between all customers.

Philip Morris has stopped online sales through its own site, but this is for issues unrelated to the shortage.