ESTA was founded in 1990 in Brussels by the German and Dutch smoking tobacco associations (VdR and VNK). ESTA represents the interests of the European manufacturers, distributors and importers of fine-cut (rolling) tobacco, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and nasal snuff tobacco.

The members of ESTA are mainly small and medium sized companies and include national associations from the European Union, the accession countries and the European Economic Area.

The core markets for fine-cut tobacco are Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium / Luxembourg, France and the UK.

The core markets for pipe tobacco are Germany, the UK, Denmark and France.

The core markets for nasal snuff tobacco are Germany and the UK.

Smoking tobacco comprises approximately 9% of the total sales of tobacco products in the European Union: around 8% for fine-cut tobacco and less than 1% for pipe tobacco.