British American Tobacco Australasia (BATA) wants its customers in Australia and surrounding regions to smoke 'em if they've got 'em -- and buy some more if they've run out. In Australia, BAT is the market leader with nearly 45% of market share. The company has made the eradication of illegal tobacco as one of its highest priorities. In 2005 BATA ceased production of cigarettes with brand descriptions such as "light" and "mild" in relation to the safety level of the emitted smoke. At around the same time, the company also came out against so-called fire-safe cigarettes that theoretically extinguish themselves if left unattended or are discarded improperly. BATA is a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.

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.

Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the United States and internationally. The company also manufactures machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco; and maintains a portfolio of leveraged and direct finance leases principally in transportation, including aircraft, as well as power generation and manufacturing equipment and facilities. It serves wholesalers and distributors, large retail organizations and chain stores, and the armed services. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Vector Group’s tobacco subsidiaries have a proud history of charting an independent course in the tobacco industry, dating from Liggett’s founding in 1873. In 1996, Liggett became the first tobacco company to settle certain smoking-related litigation. A year later, we led Liggett into its landmark announcement that smoking is addictive and causes cancer and other health ailments. To this day, Liggett – the fifth largest cigarette manufacturer in the U.S. – remains the only major tobacco company to carry “Smoking Is Addictive” warning labels on its cigarette packs and to list ingredients on its cartons. Liggett has a strong collection of discount cigarette brands, which includes Eve, Grand Prix, Pyramid and Liggett Select.Our Vector Tobacco subsidiary is focused on developing reduced risk cigarette products.Vector Group is also involved in the real estate business through its New Valley subsidiary. New Valley owns a 50% ownership interest in Douglas Elliman Realty LLC, which operates the largest residential real estate brokerage company in the New York metropolitan area. New Valley also holds investments in several significant real estate projects in California and New York.

Century Distributors is a full-line supplier of tobacco products and grocery items that caters to some 3,000 customers, including supermarkets, news stands, bookstores, office supply stores, convenience stores, and liquor stores throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. Its products include frozen foods, health and beauty, foodservice, and tobacco, among others. The company boasts a more than 100,000-sq. ft. distribution warehouse. Other services Century offers include inventory control, manufacturer programs, and merchandising support. The mid-sized company is owned by Sheldon Sadugor and managed by his three children.

Zippo's refillable lighters (which come with a lifetime guarantee) are sold in more than 120 countries. Zippo also owns W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery (pocketknives) and makes key holders, money clips, pocket flashlights, tape measures, and writing instruments. George Blaisdell founded Zippo in 1932 after watching a friend try to light a cigarette in the wind. His daughters, Harriet Wick and Sarah Dorn (and her sons, George and Paul Duke), own Zippo. Thousands of collectors converge on Bradford, Pennsylvania, for the company's biennial swap meet.

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.

Philip Morris International Inc manufactures and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States of America. The company's portfolio comprises international and local brands. Its primary international brands include Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company's local brands principally include A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in Russia; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, the Middle East and Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

The cigar-smoking fad may have lost some steam in other markets, but Altadis USA keeps rolling along. Created from the 2000 consolidation of HavaTampa Inc. and Consolidated Cigar Holdings, Altadis USA is a leading cigar maker nationwide that generates more than half of its parent Altadis, S.A.'s worldwide cigar sales. Altadis USA manufactures and markets both premium and mass-market cigars under well-known brand names such as Don Diego, El Producto, H. Upmann, and Montecristo. It also sells little cigars under the Dutch Treats and Supre Sweets brands, as well as humidors and cigar cases.

British American Tobacco Malaysia, or BAT Malaysia, likes to see things go up in smoke. The company, a subsidiary of global giant British American Tobacco, is the #1 Malaysian cigarette company. It makes, imports, and sells cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco under the names Benson & Hedges, Dunhill, Kent, and Pall Mall, among others. BAT Malaysia has a leaf-processing plant, a factory, and about 10 sales offices. The company also houses the quality lab for all of British American Tobacco's Asian operations (Hong Kong, Japan, China, and Vietnam). It was formed in 1999 by the merger of Rothmans of Pall Mall (Malaysia) and Malaysian Tobacco Company.

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