Swisher International Group, with executive offices located in Darien, Connecticut

Darien, Connecticut

Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...

, and operational headquarters located in Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, is the world's largest cigar company as measured by units sold and is America’s largest cigar exporter, shipping to nearly 90 countries. Brands include Swisher Sweets, King Edward, and Optimo.

History

The company was founded in 1861 when David Swisher received a small cigar business in settlement of a debt. At the time, cigars were only a sideline for Swisher and his four sons, just one of many products that they sold across the Midwest for the “rolling stores” or wagons. The company was located in Chicago, Illinois. Tobacco products were popular and sales were profitable, eventually becoming their core product.

Carl and John Swisher moved the King Edward Cigar Company from Chicago to Jacksonville in 1929.