Nat Sherman

Nat Sherman was an American tobacco brand that developed from a New York retail tobacconist into a producer, distributor, and marketer of premium cigars, specialty cigarettes, pipe tobacco, and smoking accessories. Its identity was closely tied to the Nat Sherman Townhouse, a prestigious Manhattan tobacco shop that operated near Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street from 1930 until 2020. The store served as both a retail destination and a physical expression of the brand's luxury positioning, with a clientele drawn from fashion, theater, politics, business, and other elite social circles. The business entered tobacco manufacturing after Nat Sherman, who had previously operated a prominent New York speakeasy during Prohibition, became involved with Traub Brothers and Bear, the makers of the Epoca cigar. He eventually acquired sole control of the Epoca brand, whose cigars were produced in Havana and Tampa. Sherman later provided financing to a real-estate developer involved in the construction of a Manhattan office building and accepted retail space in the building's lobby as partial repayment. That location became an important distribution point for Epoca, Nat Sherman products, and other tobacco brands. The company also acted as the exclusive United States importer and distributor of the Cuban-made Bolivar cigar brand during the period described in its historical accounts. Nat Sherman built a reputation for product experimentation. In the early 1950s it introduced Sherman's #25, a plastic-tipped cigar, and also launched Havana Ovals #149, a cigarette made with cigar tobacco. The latter was intended to provide a cigar-like taste in a format that could be smoked where cigars were impractical, including on aircraft. During the 1960s the retail operation expanded substantially into pipes and pipe tobacco, with a large wall display and an unusually broad selection for the New York market. Manufacturing and wholesale activities also expanded, including a move from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to a larger facility in Englewood, New Jersey. The company reinforced its premium image in the 1970s by opening a Fifth Avenue shop near the Plaza Hotel and Tiffany & Company. After Nat Sherman's death in 1989, his son Joel Sherman returned to the business in 1990, became president and chief executive, and reorganized management. Following the loss of the Fifth Avenue lease, the company invested in a much larger 42nd Street location. The new store included extensive cigar inventory, a walk-in humidor, and a smoking room, and became known as the Nat Sherman Townhouse. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, production was divided among specialist manufacturers. The Metropolitan cigar line was made in the Dominican Republic by MATASA, while Gotham 1400 and Omerta products were manufactured and distributed by Santa Clara, Inc. Cigarette production was conducted at a facility in Greensboro, North Carolina. Altria acquired Sherman Group Holdings, including Nat Sherman, LLC and Nat Sherman International, LLC, in 2017. Altria later moved to discontinue the business: legacy Nat Sherman cigarettes were delisted in July 2020, and in August 2020 it announced that Nat Sherman International would cease operations by the end of September. The Manhattan store and wholesale operation consequently closed. In January 2021, Ferio Tego, a company formed by former Nat Sherman employees Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott, acquired several premium cigar brands formerly owned and sold by Nat Sherman International, including Timeless, Metropolitan, Epoca, and Ancora. This transaction preserved parts of the brand portfolio while ending Nat Sherman International as an operating company.

Nat Sherman originated in the New York tobacco trade after its founder, Nat Sherman, moved from operating a Prohibition-era speakeasy into cigar manufacturing and retail. He became associated with Traub Brothers and Bear, makers of the Epoca cigar, and later obtained sole ownership of the Epoca brand. Epoca production was connected with Havana, Cuba, and Tampa, Florida. A major step in the company's development came through a real-estate financing arrangement. Sherman lent money to developer Abe Gubertz during construction of a large Manhattan building and received lobby retail space as partial repayment. The shop sold cigarettes and cigars to office workers while also distributing the company's own brands, including Epoca and Nat Sherman products. It additionally served as the United States importer and distributor for the Cuban Bolivar cigar brand during the period covered by the company's historical record. The Nat Sherman retail identity became particularly important after the opening of its long-running Manhattan flagship in 1930. In the 1950s, the store expanded into adjoining premises and developed a more upscale customer base. It was known as a meeting place for prominent figures in fashion, entertainment, politics, and organized crime, although the historical account primarily presents this as part of the shop's social reputation rather than as a formal business association. Product innovation was central to the company's mid-century development. Sherman's #25, introduced in the 1950s, was a plastic-tipped cigar. The company sought patent protection for its tip but did not receive a patent; nevertheless, it used patent-pending language on packaging and asserted the design against potential imitators. The company also introduced Havana Ovals #149, a cigarette using cigar tobacco. The product was developed to answer demand for a cigar-flavored smoke in a cigarette format. During the 1960s the business added pipes and pipe tobacco. Its Manhattan shop reportedly displayed more than 1,000 pipes in a long wall case, making the pipe section one of the largest of its kind in New York and possibly the United States. The company simultaneously pursued larger manufacturing and wholesale operations. Its former Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, manufacturing site was closed and production was moved to a larger facility in Englewood, New Jersey. In 1976 Nat Sherman opened a Fifth Avenue shop near the Plaza Hotel and across from Tiffany & Company. A disagreement between Nat Sherman and his son Joel led Joel to leave the business for approximately a decade. After Nat Sherman died in 1989, Joel returned in 1990, became president and chief executive, and replaced much of the existing management. When the company lost its Fifth Avenue lease, it moved to a 7,000-square-foot location on 42nd Street near the New York Public Library. The company invested approximately $1.5 million in the site, which held a large cigar inventory, a second-floor walk-in humidor, and a smoking room with leather chairs. The location became known as the Nat Sherman Townhouse. Later production used several external specialists. MATASA manufactured the Metropolitan cigar line in the Dominican Republic, while Santa Clara manufactured and distributed Gotham 1400 and Omerta. Cigarette production was carried out in Greensboro, North Carolina. Altria acquired Sherman Group Holdings and its Nat Sherman subsidiaries in January 2017. In 2019 Altria indicated that it was willing to sell Nat Sherman International. In 2020 it delisted the legacy cigarette products and announced the closure of Nat Sherman International, ending the Townhouse's operation and the company's wholesale business. In January 2021, Ferio Tego acquired a number of premium cigar brands formerly sold by Nat Sherman International, including Timeless, Metropolitan, Epoca, and Ancora. The transaction continued those product lines under new ownership but marked the end of Nat Sherman International as the operating home of the portfolio.

• 2021

  Former premium cigar portfolio transfers to Ferio Tego

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  Ferio Tego acquired several cigar brands previously owned and sold by Nat Sherman International.

• 2020

  Nat Sherman International closes

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  Altria announced the closure of Nat Sherman International, including the Manhattan store and wholesale operation.

• 2017

  Altria acquisition

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  Altria acquired Sherman Group Holdings and its Nat Sherman operating subsidiaries.

• 1990

  Joel Sherman returns and becomes chief executive

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  Joel Sherman returned to the company, assumed the presidency and chief executive role, and reorganized management.

• 1990

  42nd Street Townhouse opens

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  After losing its Fifth Avenue lease, the company moved to a larger 42nd Street premises featuring a large humidor and smoking room.

• 1976

  Fifth Avenue store opens

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  Nat Sherman opened a premium retail location at 711 Fifth Avenue near the Plaza Hotel.

• 1960

  Pipe department and pipe-tobacco business expand

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  The company expanded its retail assortment with a large pipe display and Nat Sherman-branded pipe tobacco.

• 1950

  Sherman's #25 plastic-tipped cigar introduced

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced a plastic-tipped cigar and sought, unsuccessfully, to obtain a patent for its tip design.

• 1950

  Havana Ovals #149 launched

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  Nat Sherman introduced a specialty cigarette made with cigar tobacco to provide a cigar-like flavor in cigarette form.

• 1930

  Manhattan flagship begins long-running operation

  [1]Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org

  The Nat Sherman retail shop that later became known as the Townhouse began operating in Manhattan near Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

Luxury and heritage tobacco, combining handmade cigars and specialty smoking products with an upscale New York tobacconist tradition.

• Premium cigars

  Epoca

  Epoca was one of the company's foundational cigar brands. It originated in the manufacturing business associated with Traub Brothers and Bear and was later controlled by Nat Sherman. Historical production was linked to Havana and Tampa. The brand was among the premium cigar properties transferred to Ferio Tego after Nat Sherman International ceased operations.

• Premium cigars

  Metropolitan

  Metropolitan was a major Nat Sherman cigar line manufactured in the Dominican Republic by MATASA. It represented the company's later premium handmade-cigar business and was included among the brands acquired by Ferio Tego in 2021.

• Premium cigars

  Timeless

  Timeless was a premium cigar brand formerly owned and sold by Nat Sherman International. It was included in the group of cigar brands acquired by Ferio Tego after the closure of Nat Sherman International.

• Small cigar · 1950

  Sherman's #25

  Sherman's #25 was a plastic-tipped cigar introduced during the 1950s. Its tip was intended to distinguish the product and became the subject of a patent application that was not granted.

• Specialty cigarette · 1950

  Havana Ovals #149

  Havana Ovals #149 was a cigarette made with cigar tobacco. It was developed as a practical alternative for smokers who wanted cigar-like flavor in a cigarette format.

• Premium cigars

  Gotham 1400

  Gotham 1400 was a Nat Sherman-associated cigar product manufactured and distributed by Santa Clara, Inc. It belonged to the company's later premium cigar portfolio.

• Premium cigars

  Omerta

  Omerta was a cigar brand manufactured and distributed for Nat Sherman by Santa Clara, Inc. It was part of the company's broader premium cigar assortment.

• Pipe tobacco · 1960

  Nat Sherman pipe tobacco

  Nat Sherman-branded pipe tobacco was introduced as the company expanded its pipe department during the 1960s. The line complemented the store's extensive selection of pipes and accessories.

• 2021

  Ferio Tego acquires former Nat Sherman cigar brandsM&A

  Background

  Following the closure of Nat Sherman International, former employees Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott formed Ferio Tego to continue selected premium cigar activities.

  Action taken

  Ferio Tego acquired brands including Timeless, Metropolitan, Epoca, and Ancora, among others.

  Aftermath

  The transferred brands continued under new ownership, while Nat Sherman International no longer operated as the portfolio company.

  Source

• 2020

  Altria discontinues legacy cigarette range and closes the international businessStrategy

  Background

  Altria had indicated in 2019 that it was willing to sell Nat Sherman International. The company subsequently reduced the cigarette portfolio and ended the operating business.

  Action taken

  Altria delisted legacy Nat Sherman cigarettes in July and announced that Nat Sherman International would cease operations by the end of September, including the Townhouse and wholesale business.

  Aftermath

  The Manhattan flagship and wholesale operation closed. Several premium cigar brands later moved to Ferio Tego.

  Source

• 2017

  Altria buys Nat ShermanM&A

  Background

  Nat Sherman remained a privately held tobacco business when Altria announced the acquisition of Sherman Group Holdings and its subsidiaries.

  Action taken

  Altria acquired Sherman Group Holdings, Nat Sherman, LLC, and Nat Sherman International, LLC.

  Aftermath

  Nat Sherman operated within Altria's portfolio until Altria later pursued a sale and ultimately shut Nat Sherman International.

  Source

1. 1Nat Shermanen.wikipedia.org