Nat Sherman makes and sells premium cigars, cigarettes, pipes, tobacco, and smoking accessories (ashtrays, cigar cutters and cases, humidors, lighters) throughout the US and in more than 40 countries worldwide. Exclusive brands include Fantasia (cigarettes), Maduro, Metropolitan, and Gotham (cigars). Run by the third-generation of the Sherman family, Joel Sherman (company president) and his son Bill (EVP), the firm operates a showroom on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street in New York City and manufactures its products in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company was founded in the 1930s by its namesake, the tobacconist Nat Sherman.

S&M counts two things -- cigarettes and racing -- among its favorites. S&M Brands makes and markets cigarettes under the Bailey's Cigarettes brand name, as well as under the Freedom of Choice label. CEO Malcolm (Mac) Bailey and his son Steven established the company in 1994. The "S&M" in the corporate name stands for "Steve and Mac." Bailey's Cigarettes are sold throughout the Southeastern US in Alabama, Florida, Delaware, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. S&M is a closely held, family-run company that boasts fifth-generation tobacco growers. The firm sponsors a NASCAR racing team to promote its brand.

JR Cigar company that began as a small Manhattan cigar shop is now a leading distributor and retailer of premium cigars. Its retail operations include a few discount outlet stores (all in North Carolina) and a direct-mail catalog operation. Its stores also sell pipe tobacco, tobacco accessories, humidors, lighters, coffee, and other specialty items such as a Montecristo golf club set. Orders also are taken on the company's Web site, which features JR Cigar University. The company hosts auctions on its Web site, as well, at JR Cigar Auction. The online database contains extensive information on cigars -- everything from storing them to lighting them up.

PT Gudang Garam deals in droves of cloves to make fragrant clove cigarettes, called kreteks. Founded in 1958 by the Wonowidjojo family, Gudang Garam blends cloves with tobacco to produce more than 70 billion cigarettes annually. The company owns a 514-acre tobacco complex on eastern Java that includes machine-made and hand-rolled cigarette operations. Gudang Garam is affiliated with other firms involved in banking, investing, and polyester film production. The company's dominance in Indonesia is under fire from Philip Morris International, which acquired rival PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna in 2005. Suryaduta Investama owns about 67% of Gudang Garam.

Nervous newlyweds headed to Niagara Falls can take a pit stop down the road at Smokin Joes Cigars. The retail outlet on the Tuscarora Indian Nation in New York started off as a place to buy low-priced tobacco and tax-free gasoline but now offers a range of other products, from groceries and housewares to jewelry and apparel items, including casual clothing from major labels (such as Burton and Calvin Klein), Western wear, footwear, and accessories. In addition to selling name-brand tobacco products, Smokin Joes manufactures its own line of cigars, cigarettes, and pipe tobacco at a factory on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation. It also sells products online.

ITC walks with the other giants of the Indian business world -- Tata and Reliance. Primarily, the company makes cigarettes and tobacco, as well as papers and packaging. It manages lines of branded apparel, personal care products, and prepackaged food. ITC also runs hotels and exports agricultural commodities (including rice, wheat, and lentils). The company is India's second-largest exporter of agri-products. Its major brands include India Kings, Insignia, Navy Cut, Scissors, and Gold Flake (cigarettes); Wills Sport and John Players (clothing); Kitchens of India and Aashirvaad (prepackaged food); and Expressions (greeting cards). It is also parent to one of India's leading technology companies, ITC Infotech.

British American Tobacco p.l.c., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of tobacco products. The company offers cigars and cigarettes under the Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Vogue, Viceroy, Rothmans, Kool, Benson & Hedges, State Express 555, Peter Stuyvesant, and John Player Gold Leaf brand names. It also sells Swedish-style snus, a form of smokeless tobacco. The company has operations in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and America-Pacific. British American Tobacco p.l.c. was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Imperial Tobacco Canada makes cigarettes, loose-leaf tobacco, and other tobacco-related products, including filter papers and tubes. It also operates marketing and event-planning subsidiaries. The company's brand names include du MAURIER, Player's, John Player, JPS, Matine, Peter Jackson, Sweet Caporal, Embassy, Hi-Dro, and others. Amid slumping sales, Imperial Tobacco in 2005 shuttered the last of its Canadian-based cigarette-making plants. Imperial Tobacco Canada was established in 1908 and is a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, one of the world's largest cigarette companies.

Imperial Tobacco Group has traded up to an even bigger throne. Its acquisition of Spain's Altadis in 2008 added the Montecristo and Ducados brands. Its purchase of German tobacco firm Reemtsma (Davidoff and West cigarettes) doubled its size and made it one of the world's top tobacco firms. Imperial's other brands include Lambert & Butler, the UK's #1 cigarette, as well as Castella cigars, and Amphora and St Bruno pipe tobacco. Its Drum brand is the #1 hand-rolling tobacco worldwide, and Rizla is a top cigarette paper. Acquisitions in Australia and New Zealand have assured Imperial's presence in emerging markets.

JTI - Japan Tobacco International is the international tobacco business of Japan Tobacco, the world's third largest industry player, with a global market share of 11% and market capitalization of approximately USD 32 billion.Our group was formed in 1999 when Japan Tobacco Inc. purchased, for USD 8 billion, the international tobacco operations of the US multinational R.J.Reynolds.In 2007, Gallaher, a FTSE 100 business, was acquired by Japan Tobacco for GBP 9.4 billion. At the time, this was the largest foreign acquisition by a Japanese company.In 2009, we will enter our 10th year. We are a young industry player built on solid tobacco experience and rich heritage, dating back to the 18th century.

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