By Lancaster Leaf

A feature piece from our Winter 2024 issue of the Lancaster Thriving Publication.

Founded in 1914 by Harry Hitchcock, this historic company, headquartered on Liberty Street in the heart of Lancaster, has grown into the world’s premier dark-air cured leaf tobacco supplier. Since its inception, Lancaster Leaf has focused on connecting Pennsylvania’s farmers to global markets through sourcing and processing the finest leaf tobacco for cigar manufacturers across globe. Virtually every U.S. cigar manufacturer, as well as chewing tobacco maker, buys from Lancaster Leaf.  

Lancaster Leaf began purchasing leaf tobacco in Pennsylvania in 1927. By the mid 1930’s, employing 500 to 600 people at the height of the harvest season, the firm was already established as the world’s dominant cigar leaf operation in the U.S. Today, Lancaster Leaf is still a leader in procurement and processing of dark air-cured tobacco to meet industry demand and employs some 165 people in its state-of-the-art processing factory, storage facilities, and administration office. Lancaster Leaf is a subsidiary of Universal Corporation, a leading global supplier of premium agriproducts. Universal Corporation’s global dark air-cured tobacco operations are managed by Lancaster Leaf. 

Tobacco is the sixth largest crop grown in Pennsylvania in dollars paid to the farmer, and the company contracts with over 1,200 Pennsylvania farms. Lancaster Leaf works with these Pennsylvania farmers to develop and promote local Pennsylvania tobacco which improves outcomes for both the farmers and Lancaster Leaf customers. “Not only does the company support the livelihood of our contracted farmers, but we have also invested in agronomic technology for farmers to achieve better results,” stated Richard Wood, CEO of Lancaster Leaf. “Our company is dedicated to maintaining ties to central Pennsylvania and has invested over $25 million in our operations over the last 20 years.”  

For almost 100 years, Lancaster Leaf has worked with the central Pennsylvania farming community to supply the cigar industry with some of the best tobacco in the world. Today, Lancaster Leaf is a globally recognized supplier of cigar tobacco and sells tobacco from Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America as well as the domestic farms of central Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Connecticut. While a global company, Lancaster Leaf has never lost focus on the city and people who started it all in central Pennsylvania. Lancaster Leaf’s legacy continues to grow each year, and they are proud to be a corporate citizen of the Lancaster community and ready to partner with their Pennsylvania farmers for another 100 years.  

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