Begun as a family tobacco firm in Svendborg, Denmark in 1887, Mac Baren tobacco underwent an enormous conceptual and structural transition upon the return of Jorgen Halberg from the United States where he had spent the duration of World War II.

He had a novel idea for the time: blend tobaccos designed for a particular market. Though today, in an age where no one makes anything without the input of the marketing department, it sounds almost silly in its simplicity and obviousness, fifty years ago the idea was revolutionary in the Danish tobacco industry. Having spent time in the United States he recognized what was lacking in that tobacco market. Americans, during that period, could choose from either low-quality domestically mass-blended tobaccos that relied on a burley base usually heavily flavored with various low quality casings or expensive, but high quality, imported tobaccos from England, Scotland or Germany that were either straight Virginia blends or various versions of the English blend. Simultaneously, Halberg recognized that some American stylings (specifically the way in which Americans used toppings) could be used in the European market if altered slightly.

Armed with this information, Halberg set about developing blends that would simultaneously offer the American smoker quality tobaccos that did not differ greatly from his standard fare and offer the European smoker something slightly out of the ordinary, but made with the same top quality ingredients that they expected.

The initial fruit of his labor was Mac Baren's Golden Blend. Through numerous and varied attempts, Halberg developed a uniquely American blend, combined with methods and quality of European manufacturers, but sporting a uniquely Danish flair. He used only top-quality natural essences and juices to flavor his tobaccos. In 1953, the now famed Mac Baren's Mixture: Scottish Blend hit the Danish market and was well received, but initially not overly successful. By 1958, Mixture was growing enormously in popularity, destined to be the all time most popular blend in Denmark for decades.

Halberg's understanding of and capitalization upon modern manufacturing and marketing concepts has made Mac Baren one of the worlds preeminent tobacco manufacturing firms, both from the perspective of size and quality. What is more, Halberg revolutionized both the European and American tobacco styles by fusing the two. He made light aromatics popular in Europe and non-aromatics and quality light aromatics popular in the United States.