Chewing Tobacco in Brief

In 1500, Native Americans first introduced chewing tobacco to European settlers. This took place while Christopher Columbus and his men were visiting an island outside the coast of Venezuela. They first experienced Native Americans chewing green leaves, mixed with the crushed shell of mussels.

In 1904, the Red Man brand was introduced to the North American market. The name Red Man was chosen, as believed, due to the Native American’s lead role in chewing tobacco custom.

Red Man was only distributed in a few Midwestern states until 1954 when distribution was expanded to 13 south-eastern states. In 1963, the brand became "national" with distribution in 42 out of 50 states. During the 90´s, the brands Red Man Select and J.D.´s Blend were added to the brand portfolio. A large number of consumers work outdoors and enjoy hunting, fishing and watch auto racing.

Today, Swedish Match is the leading player in the North American chewing tobacco market. The Red Man family of brands is the market leading brand.