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.

British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) wants to smoke the competition by having its customers light up and keep the flame burning. The company makes and markets more than 27 brands, including local industry leaders Peter Stuyvesant and Lucky Strike. BATSA also buys more than 60% of all locally grown tobacco. In South Africa, the company is a smoking superstar, accounting for some 65% of the country's market share (which consists of nearly a quarter of the nation's adult population). BATSA was established in 1904 as United Tobacco Company. The company's current incarnation is a result of a combination of parent BAT and Rothmans International.

Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken company produces a variety of brands, including Gauloises Blondes, Davidoff, Peter Stuyvesant, R1, and JPS. It sells its cigarettes through affiliated operations in more than 130 countries around the globe. Health-related legal complications have as yet not touched the company, since the majority of its sales come from areas outside those litigious towards cigarette makers. Reemtsma is a subsidiary of the UK's Imperial Tobacco.

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.

Judging by its logo Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company sells what may be the closest thing to a peace pipe. Packs of its Natural American Spirit additive-free cigarettes, adorned with an American Indian smoking the ceremonial pipe, are sold in Canada, Europe, Japan, and the US. The tobacco-product manufacturer sells as many as 10 types of the branded cigarettes, including the imported Dunhill brand. Though the company sells additive-free smokes, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company doesn't claim they are any safer to use than the typical cigarette. Founded in 1982, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings (now Reynolds American) bought the company in 2002 for $340 million. President and CEO Nicholas Bumbacco joined in 2009.

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.

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.

Rothmans company owns 60% of Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (RBH). RBH, Canada's #2 tobacco firm (Imperial Tobacco Canada is #1), makes and distributes cigarettes and roll- your-own tobaccos under top brands Craven "A" and Rothmans, as well as Belvedere, Benson and Hedges, Dunhill (licensed), Mark Ten, Number 7 (its best seller), and Viscount. RBH also distributes cut tobacco, mini-cigars, and pipe tobacco (Captain Black). Rothmans controls about a third of the Canadian tobacco product market. Philip Morris International (PMI) acquired Rothmans for about $2 billion in 2008.

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.

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.

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