TAMPA, Fla. — Next year we will celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary. As part of the celebration, some of America’s most historic and influential companies will be uniting under one brand, America 250, and J.C. Newman is among them.
Over the course of the next year, every cigar rolled on the third floor of the J.C. Newman Cigar Factory will have a commemorative band, America 250, recognizing our country’s 250th anniversary and Tampa’s place in that history.
J.C. Newman Cigar Company has been rolling tobacco in Ybor City since 1895.
WATCH: J.C. Newman Cigar Company celebrates nation's 250th anniversary
“It is such a privilege and honor to be able to keep the legacy of my great-grandfather alive, today, we roll cigars by hand the same way that he did 130 years ago,” said fourth-generation owner Drew Newman.
Newman says you can’t talk about the history of the country without talking about the history of tobacco.
“So, this is an image of John Rolfe who planted the first tobacco crop in the Americas in 1612, and it was this crop that made the American colonies successful,” said Newman as he reads some of the plaques inside the factory outlining the history of tobacco.
When J.C. Newman found out Congress was creating a special America 250 seal for American companies to use on products to commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary, they felt they were the perfect company to apply.
“Having to be scrutinized by the federal government and send samples up to Washington D.C. and have them approve it and even down to, ‘what color blue are you using in these cigar bands, make sure it’s perfect,’ we aren’t used to that, but we passed all the tests,” said Newman.
J.C. Newman now joins influential American-made companies, like Coca-Cola and KraftHeinz, by including the America 250 seal on every cigar rolled.
“It is such an honor to be a part of the America 250 program, my great grandfather came to the United States in 1888, and he lived the American Dream and started our company in the barn behind the family house and now we’ve grown to be the last cigar factory still operating in the United States right here in Tampa,” said Newman.
Cigars with the America 250 seal went on sale this month, just in time for Christmas, and will be available through the end of 2026.
“Hopefully you’ll set aside some and for the 300th anniversary of the country in 50 years, which maybe I’ll be around for and my kids will be too, we’ll break these out again,” said Newman.
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