In 1832 the cigar factory was founded in Peer by J.W. Hoof nails. Just over thirty years later, in 1865 the factory was taken over by his cousin J.-H. Carpenter, who transferred the factory to Wijchmaal. There it was built near the station in 1867 with the help of a certain Raijmakers.In 1872 the factory was taken over by P.G. Liekens and later his sons continued. Around 1900 the factory had more than a hundred employees and a production of about 3 million cigars per year.
In fact, there were at least 116 varieties. Various brands such as 'Pareltjes', 'Le Dessert', 'La Fraude', 'Porte-Bonheur', 'Sans Pareils' were registered as a legally registered trademark. The construction of the Hasselt-Eindhoven railway line with a station in Wijchmaal, close to the factory, contributed greatly to the great success of the factory. The cigars of "J.W. Hoefnagels & Zonen 'were exported to England, Denmark and Egypt. 1932 marked the 100th anniversary of J.W. Hoefnagels & Sons celebrated. Production fell sharply from World War II, mainly due to the increasing competition from the Dutch cigar factories and the "cigarette", which was on the rise. Increasing taxation and the emergence of the coal mines also accelerated the decline of the cigar industry in this region. Before 1950 all activities of the company were discontinued. This also marked the end of 'J.W. Hoof nails & Sons.