USA Gold is an American brand of discount
cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...
s, currently owned and manufactured by
ITG Brands
ITG Brands, LLC is the third-largest American tobacco manufacturing company in the United States. It is a subsidiary of British multinational Imperial Brands. ITG Brands markets and sells multiple cigarette and cigar brands and sells blu eCigs ...
, a subsidiary of
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mor ...
. USA Gold brands were founded by Commonwealth Brands in 1991.
History
In 1991,
Brad M. Kelley
Brad Maurice Kelley (born 1956) is an American businessman who is the 7th largest landowner in the U.S., with an estimated net worth of US$2.2 billion in 2018. He founded the Commonwealth Brands tobacco company in 1991 and sold the company in 2001 ...
started Commonwealth Brands in
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. As of the 2 ...
. The goal was to undercut major cigarette companies by "producing discount 'branded generic' cigarettes". Kelley then sold Commonwealth Brands to
Houchens Industries
Houchens Industries is an American employee-owned company, in business since 1917 when it began as a small grocery operated by founder Ervin Houchens in rural Barren County, Kentucky. The company is headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The co ...
in 2001 for $1 billion, which at the time was the fifth-largest cigarette maker in the United States with a turnover of $800 million. USA Gold was the eighth best selling cigarette brand in the United States at the time.
In 2003, bargain brand cigarettes were selling cigarettes under names like "USA Gold and Roger". Deep-discount brands accounted for "10% of the U.S. market, up from 2% in 1997".
In 2007, British company
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mor ...
entered the United States discount cigarette market after purchasing the Commonwealth Brands for $1.9 billion. Through brands such as USA Gold and Sonoma, Commonwealth Brands controlled 3.7% of the U.S. cigarette market.
Products
Varieties sold in the United States
As of 2017, all varieties of USA Gold sold by
ITG Brands
ITG Brands, LLC is the third-largest American tobacco manufacturing company in the United States. It is a subsidiary of British multinational Imperial Brands. ITG Brands markets and sells multiple cigarette and cigar brands and sells blu eCigs ...
are only available in a box.
* USA Gold Red (Full Flavor) KS-20-H - USA
* USA Gold (Lights) KS-20-H - USA
* USA Gold (Menthol Lights) KS-20-S - USA
* USA Gold (Non-Filter) KS-20-S - USA
* USA Gold (Ultra Lights) KS-20-S - USA
See also
*
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed ...
References
External links
*
{{Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Brands brands
Products introduced in 1991