Archaeological research and research by paleontologists have proved that tobacco smoking originated among the Indian tribes of North and South America around the end of the 1st millennium AD. Now, despite the worldwide struggle against the bad habit that has hit humanity, the largest tobacco companies in the world continue to receive superprofits. These are the giants of cigarette production that will be discussed in our article.
1
British American Tobacco. USA - UK
The headquarters of British American Tobacco is from the very beginning of its existence in London, and today the British-American corporation is the largest tobacco company among other manufacturers of similar products.
It was founded in 1902 after the merger of the largest British and American cigarette manufacturers. "Dunhill", "Kent", "Pall Mall", "Vogue" are the most famous brands of cigarettes produced by the company.
Today, the combined tobacco company occupies 17% of the tobacco market segment. The largest factories operate in Britain, and enterprises are opened in 42 countries.
2
Philip Morris International. USA
An American company producing world-famous brands Marlboro, Parliament, Chesterfield, L&M and others, was founded in 1900.
Now the headquarters of the giant tobacco industry is located in Swiss Lausanne, and its factories operate in many countries of the world. More than 90 thousand employees are employed in the production of cigarettes.
PMI distributors work in the cities of the Russian Federation, and the beginning of cooperation with the American company began back in the 70s of the twentieth century.
3
China National Tobacco Corporation. China
A Chinese state-owned company was founded in 1982, but immediately became a leader in this segment of the global market. Of all countries, China is one of the last countries to profit in the tobacco sector.
In terms of cigarette production, CNTC ranks first, while sales are still inferior to recognized world leaders. There are 130 enterprises in China that fully satisfy the country's national tobacco needs.
At the end of the twentieth century, a Chinese company began exporting its products to other countries. Their products easily compete with European and American manufacturers.
4
Japan Tobacco Inc. Japan
The company, headquartered in Tokyo, occupies 60% of the Japanese market for the production and sales of tobacco products, and in the world is firmly in the Top 5 largest cigarette manufacturers.
They founded the company in 1898. For many years it was managed by the state, and in 1985 became an open joint stock company. In 1999, Japanese tobacco moguls acquired part of the shares of American companies. After that, a representative office was opened in Swiss Geneva.
There are 3 factories of a Japanese company operating in Russia, producing famous brands “Winston”, “Peter I”, “Troika”, “Our Prima”.
5
Imperial Tobacco Group. Great Britain
In 1901, 13 companies located in the British Isles merged into one, thus creating the Tobacco Imperial. The headquarters is located in Bristol.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the company shared its spheres of influence with its direct competitor, British American Tobacco, and even built a joint factory. The shares of the ITG enterprise were then bought back from American colleagues.
The British corporation is active in the global market, buying up the largest national firms. In recent decades, the German brand Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken and the French Altadis have been absorbed.
6
Altria Group. Great Britain
One of the oldest companies, leading its history since 1847. She began her journey in London with the opening of a small shop that sold Turkish cigarettes.
40 years after the store opened, the company management came up with a new name, and Philip Morris & Co., Ltd appeared in the world. Quality products quickly found their consumers, and the company began to flourish.
Today, it combines the leading American tobacco companies, as well as several wineries in France and the British brewery, under its management.
7
ITC. India
The headquarters of the Indian Tobacco Company is located in Calcutta. It all started with a small factory, and today the staff consists of more than 30 thousand people.
It is the largest producer of cigarettes in Southeast Asia, and shares of the Indian manufacturer are highly valued on world exchanges. The products are quite expensive, so part of the manufactured hand-rolled cigarettes.
In recent years, ITC has significantly increased its profits, but, along with other companies in Asia and the Middle East, has opposed the expansion of tobacco plantations.
8
Gudang Garam. Indonesia
A large Indonesian company produces unusual cigarettes with cloves called kretek. The company was founded by a native of China in 1958.
Through the efforts of management in 1990, Gudang Garam shares were listed on stock exchanges. A small portion of cigarettes are manually twisted. Subsidiary factories and firms produce cigarette packs, and deliver and promote products.
The company is one of the three Indonesian corporations producing cigarettes, and its products are exported to Taiwan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
9
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. USA
The second largest corporation in the United States for the production of cigarettes and related materials. It was founded by American businessman R.J. Reynold in 1874.
The first cigarette factory was built in Winston-Salem, where the RJR main office is now based. Over a long history, the company has developed its traditions, recipes and cigarette manufacturing technologies.
Products are popular among smokers in the United States, as well as outside the Americas. In recent years, it has lost a little its leading position, and 42% of the shares were bought back by British American Tobacco.
10
KT & G. South Korea
The South Korean manufacturer of cigarettes annually sells its products for $ 4 billion. Originally it was a state monopoly, but over time it was transformed into an open joint-stock company.
KT & G accounts for 62% of sales in the Korean market. At the beginning of the XXI century, the company began to actively develop the world market, exporting cigarettes not only to Asian countries, but also to Europe.
In Russia and in Eastern European markets, the Korean company is known for its Esse brand.
Rating of Russian tobacco companies
The tobacco business in Russia began to flourish after Peter I lifted all bans on smoking, production and cultivation of tobacco. The first large Russian tobacco factory began work in 1852 in St. Petersburg, and every second smoked in the country. Much has changed since then, but there are still many smokers in Russia.
Speaking of the most smoking countries in the world, thebiggest.ru has an interesting article.
1
Philip Morris International. Representation in Russia
In the mid-70s of the XX century, Soyuz Apollo cigarettes appeared on store shelves, produced in honor of the docking of the American and Soviet aircraft.
On the packaging it was possible to read that they are produced by Soviet factories under the license of the American company PMI. In addition to Soyuz Apollo, Soviet factories produced the famous Marlboro.
After the collapse of the USSR, an American company entered the Russian tobacco market more tightly. American cigarette factories operate in the Leningrad Region, Krasnodar and Moscow.
2
BAT Russia
British American Tobacco products are produced in Russia at 2 large enterprises, and the very first representative office was opened in 1991.
According to the results of work and sales volumes, the company was recognized as the best employer in Russia in 2016. In the near future, the company does not plan to expand its network, since the factories in Saratov and St. Petersburg fully satisfy the demand.
BAT products are promoted in the Russian expanses by SNS.
3
CJSC Liggett-Ducat
The Dukat factory began producing cigarettes and selling them in Moscow shops in 1891. The founder of the company was the merchant Ilya Pigit.
After 10 years, along with cigarettes, employees of the enterprise began to produce cigarettes. In Soviet times, it was a leading producer of cigarettes and cigarettes.
In 1990, Ducat and the American company Liggett Group Inc. established a joint venture. This was the first joint venture in the field of cigarette production in the Soviet state. Today Liggett-Ducat is one of the three leaders in Russian cigarette manufacturers.
4
LLC Petro
The largest Russian tobacco company operating in North Palmyra is part of the Japanese corporation JTI. Since the moment of cooperation, Japanese manufacturers have invested about $ 1 billion in the St. Petersburg enterprise.
The modern company began its history in 1852, when a small Laferm manufactory began to operate in the capital of the Russian Empire. After the revolution of 1917, she was named after the chairman of the Leningrad Cheka, Moses Uritsky, and after the collapse of the Union it began to be called Petro.
The plant has a high-tech line capable of producing 200 thousand cigarettes in one minute.
5
Don Tobacco
The list is completed by Dontabak, which launched its production in 1857. The central office and plants are located in the administrative capital and cities of the Rostov region.
Products were produced on the domestic market, as well as exported abroad. Due to the general crisis of the tobacco industry, production volumes decreased slightly, but the company remains among the leaders of Russian manufacturers.
The production technology uses high quality raw materials, and the cigarette production process is fully automated. In 2018, the Russian company joined the large JTI family, after which Dontabak significantly expanded its assortment.
Summary
Oddly enough, tobacco corporations belong to the food industry and, in addition to cigarettes, produce raw materials for tobacco products, smoking mixtures, cigars. Despite the fight against smoking, about 1 billion people in the world are exposed to this addiction, which affects the health of the smoker himself and the people around him. Addiction and nicotine addiction provide high revenue for the tobacco industry.
Article author: Valery Skiba