Avanti’s cigars originated in 1901 when Dominic Anthony and Frank Suraci left their small Italian village in Calabria to begin a new life in New York City. Familiar with the small hand-rolled cigars known as TOSCANO, the Suracis saw an opportunity to capitalize on their love of these cigars and serve the growing Italian-American population.
By the 1920’s, they were manufacturing and selling their best rated cigars as the State Leaf Company. In 1925 they purchased a Jersey City factory from the Parodi family, a leading competitor. Parodis became the primary brand and the company was named Parodi Cigar. The Suraci Brothers fell on difficult times during the stock market crash of 1929. Hence, they relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania, close to major East Coast cities. After World War II they purchased another key competitor, DeNobili Cigar Company of Long Island.
By 1952, the brothers were in control of 75% of the Italian-style cigar market. After the Suracis acquisition of De Nobili, Petri became the leading competitor. The Petri firm was, at the time, the oldest Italian cigar producer in the United States, and they began hand-making Italian style cigars around 1880.
In 1963 they purchased the only remaining competitor, Petri Cigar, thus becoming nationwide leader in Italian style cigars.
In 1970 the signature Avanti Cigar, flavored with an anisette tip, was introduced and went on to become the company’s premier brand of best rated cigars. This style cigar was so successful the Parodi Cigar Group reorganized and became the Avanti Cigar Company.
Over a century after its founding the Avanti Cigar Company has come full circle. Inspired by the legendary TOSCANO cigar, the company was acquired in 2015 by Manifatture Sigaro Toscano, part of the Maccaferri Group. Avanti Cigar Company remains the only producer of dry cured cigars in the United States.
Their process is quite simple, too:
- FIRE-CURING PROCESS adds a unique smokey flavor to the tobacco. This process allows the tobacco to keep its natural oils.
- Dry & Firm: FIRE-CURING yields low sugar, high nicotine tobacco. Fire-cured tobacco doesn’t require additional moisture to stay fresh, meaning Avanti cigars can be individually wrapped and stored without a humidor.
- Smooth Burn: The FIRE-CURING PROCESS adds a unique smokey flavor to the tobacco. This process allows the tobacco to keep its natural oils.
The future of Avanti’s cigars is very bright- it has an excellent reputation, great quality, and loyal customers. They’re always looking for ways to improve their products to make even better-tasting cigars. They want to continue to make great-tasting cigars that reflect the culture and tradition of Italy
This company has been very successful since the beginning. The founder was a master blender who created some of the most famous cigars and they’ve a strong team that works hard to make sure that the quality of their cigars continues to be the best. They want to continue making great-tasting cigars, which means continuing to innovate in their products and not just sticking with what they know works.