ALP, a US nicotine pouch brand co-owned by conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson, is set to expand into 11 European markets starting in July, according to its CEO, Lorenzo De Plano.
The company, jointly owned by Carlson and Turning Point Brands, currently ranks as the fourth or fifth largest nicotine pouch producer in the United States, Mr De Plano informed Reuters in a recent interview.
This expansion comes as nicotine pouches emerge as the fastest-growing tobacco product category, significantly boosting revenues for industry giants such as Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco, whose brands Zyn and Velo lead the US market.
While ALP only has a U.S. market share of around 2%, it is growing fast, De Plano said, adding that it is now preparing to compete in international markets with the aim of becoming the number 2 brand in the European Union by 2030. “We want ALP to be everywhere,” he said.
U.S. market foothold
ALP’s connection with Carlson, an influential and outspoken right-wing voice in the U.S. who is popular with President Donald Trump’s voting base, has helped the brand gain a foothold in the U.S. nicotine pouch market, the biggest globally.
Competition is heating up in Europe too, where Zyn is expanding, as companies battle to capture a regional market that Grand View Research forecasts will reach over $6 billion in sales by 2031, up from almost $1.7 billion in 2024.
ALP will launch online sales in Britain, Ireland, Greece, Switzerland and Romania in July, followed by the Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal and Spain in August and September, and Sweden and Denmark later this year. It will take longer for it to launch in stores, with Britain slated for 2027.
It has signed up a manufacturer in Lithuania to produce 20 million units `in 2026 and 50 million in 2027 and is in the process of securing deals with more suppliers, De Plano said.
In May, ALP signed a partnership with former UFC world champion Conor McGregor, which will see them collaborate on a marketing campaign to support ALP’s international expansion.
Earlier this year, the Independent reported that multiple influencers who are supporters of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Make America Healthy Again movement were pushing nicotine to their followers as a health hack.
The influencers claim that products such as patches, gums and pouches utilize the “natural” product and that it has been unfairly condemned by the medical establishment.
Nicotine pouches entered the U.S. market in 2016, and scientists are still learning about the short and long-term effects of the products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There are no safe tobacco products, including nicotine pouches. This is particularly true for youth, young adults, and women who are pregnant,” the CDC website states.
“Youth, young adults, and women who are pregnant should not use nicotine pouches. People who do not currently use tobacco products, including nicotine pouches, should not start.”
The health warnings have not deterred the MAHA influencers, who argue that nicotine has been vilified in a similar way to peptides, raw milk and beef tallow – which has been promoted by Kennedy.
The U.S. Health Secretary himself has been pictured carrying around a tin of nicotine pouches, and has said previously that such pouches are “probably” the safest way to consume nicotine.
