U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (formerly United States Tobacco Company) manufactures dipping tobacco

Dipping tobacco

Dipping tobacco, traditionally referred to as moist snuff, is a type of finely ground or shredded, moistened smokeless tobacco product. It is commonly and idiomatically known by various terms – most often as dip and sometimes rub or chew...

 and is a subsidiary

Subsidiary

A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...

 of Altria.

Its corporate headquarters are located in Stamford

Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...

, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

, and it maintains factories in Clarksville

Clarksville, Tennessee

Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...

 and Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

, Franklin Park

Franklin Park, Illinois

Franklin Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,800 at the 2004 census.-Geography:Franklin Park is located at ....

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, and Hopkinsville

Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...

, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

.

Copenhagen and Skoal are the company's leading brands, and each represent more than USD$1 billion per year in retail sales. It also sells similar products, for a lower price, under the brand names Red Seal and Husky. It also produced Rooster up until 2009, when Philip Morris decided to discontinue it. The company also produces the dry snuff brand Bruton.

Skoal was one of the first moist tobacco manufactures to be brought to market as Snus

Snus

Snus , or Swedish snuff, is a moist powder tobacco product originated from a variant of dry snuff in the early 19th century in Sweden, consumed by placing it under the lip for extended periods of time. The precursor of snus, the dry form of snuff inhaled through the nose, was introduced in Europe...

 in the US and as "Skoal Bandits" in the UK . This product has a small amount of tobacco in a pouch with a thin outer membrane and resembles a tiny tea bag

Tea bag

A tea bag is a small, porous sealed bag containing tea leaves and used for brewing tea. Tea bags are commonly made of paper, silk or plastic. The bag contains the tea leaves while the tea is brewed, making it easier to dispose of the leaves, and performs the same function as a tea infuser...

. Invented by David Westerman

Parent company UST

UST Inc.

UST Inc. was a holding company whose subsidiaries included U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and International Wine & Spirits Ltd., which in turn is a holding company of Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, a vintner of premium wines. On January 6, 2009 UST Inc. was purchased by Altria.UST was founded...

 was purchased by Altria Group

Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...

, which now includes Phillip Morris, John Middleton Company and US Smokeless Tobacco.

Company history

• 1822-1870 - George Weyman
• 1870-1905 - Weyman & Bros
• 1905-1911 - American Tobacco Company
• 1911-1922 - Weyman-Bruton Company
• 1922-2001 - United States Tobacco Company
• 2001–present - U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company

During the 19th century, chewing tobacco was distributed throughout the United States by George Weyman. Weyman was the inventor of Copenhagen Snuff, and after his death in 1905, Weyman & Bro was acquired by the American Tobacco Company. It is today known as the "U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company".

George Weyman was the father of two sons, William and buckworth. After their father regained control of the tobacco company in the 1860s he gave it to his two sons, when it was named "Weyman & Sons Tobacco". Following their father's death, the brothers officially adopted the name "Weyman & Bros Tobacco" in the 1870s.