What is Neerup, and Who is Peder Jeppesen?
One thing is clear: Neerup and Peder Jeppesen pipes come from the same workshop in Denmark. However, at some point, Peder Jeppesen decided to market most of his pipes under the name "Neerup". Peder Jeppesen pipes, therefore, come from the early days of his career as a pipe maker. In the following, we will mainly focus on pipes stamped with "Neerup". However, everything that applies to Neerup pipes also applies to pipes stamped with "Peder Jeppesen". Nowadays, the name Peder Jeppesen is primarily used for marketing his own pipe smoking accessories.
Difficult Availability of Neerup in Germany
The reason why his pipes are hard to find in Germany is that he no longer has a distributor here. Until a few years ago, this was still the case, and sales representatives would travel with numerous pipes to specialty shops. As a result, his pipes were quite widely available. Nowadays, Peder sells his pipes directly, so as a retailer, you have to actively reach out to him to have a chance of getting his pipes.
Social Media as a Sales Platform
His primary platform is social media, especially Instagram. Here, new pipes are posted, giving an impression of the workshop and his working methods. Those who know Peder Jeppesen know that he is mainly a hands-on craftsman. His place is in the workshop. Therefore, his wife Bettina mainly takes care of social media, sales, shipping, and customer communication. She is also responsible for the "final touch" before shipping. His children also help where they can; his son Christian is involved in shaping. So, you can be sure that your Neerup pipe comes from a genuine family business.
Connections to Other Big Names in the Industry
As is often the case in the pipe industry, there are numerous branches and connections to other big names in the field. Peder Jeppesen learned his craft from the renowned pipe maker Karl Erik Ottendahl, who sadly passed away in 2004. After that, he moved on to another well-known name, Erik Nørding, where he worked as a pipe maker for many years.
Per Georg Jensen and the Start of Independence
Let's move on to another name that many of you may be familiar with. Per Georg Jensen is known as the former "mastermind" at Mac Baren and a distinguished tobacco expert. But his "roots" actually lie in pipes. Per Georg Jensen was the owner of a not-so-small pipe factory. Some of you will undoubtedly have a "Georg Jensen" in your collection. When the factory began to falter in the early 2000s (due to rising production costs in Denmark), it was closed. Peder Jeppesen seized the opportunity and bought the entire machinery. This was his chance to become independent, a long-held dream.
Production Methods and Series
This machinery is crucial for his current working methods. The Neerup Classic, Structure, and Neerup Basic series are pre-fabricated on a copy lathe. This means a copy template is "scanned" and two briar blocks are roughly pre-shaped based on this template. This saves a lot of work and is crucial for the affordable prices of Neerup pipes. The mouthpieces of these series are also pre-fabricated. Another economic concession. But this way, Peder can offer very individual pipes for almost every budget. And his success proves him right.
Handmade Series and Unique Shapes
The other series are and remain handmade. This is often evident in the shapes. Truly exceptional shapes can only be formed by hand. The Ida Handmade, Boutique, and Giant series are 100% handmade.
The Unique Signature of Neerup Pipes
Part of his success is also due to the fact that his pipes had their own unique signature from early on. Short, compact shapes, even shorter mouthpieces than usual. The play with colours and contrast staining, even with sandblasted pipes, is typical for his pipes. As a pipe smoker, you quickly see: that can only be a Neerup!
