ITG Brands parent company expands US presence with $150 million purchase of Black Buffalo

Imperial Brands Plc, the U.K.-based parent company of Greensboro's ITG Brands LLC, announced Wednesday it is expanding its smokeless portfolio with the $150 million purchase of Chicago-based Black Buffalo.

ITG has about 900 employees in Greensboro, as well as at least 775 field sales employees nationally.

ITG said Black Buffalo "will be part of the broader ITG family of affiliates while continuing to operate independently."

Established in 2015, Black Buffalo sells long cut and pouch moist snuff products that do not contain tobacco leaf or stem. It has 44 employees.

Black Buffalo products are manufactured in North Carolina through a "farm-to-can" process using barn-cured leafy greens with pharmaceutical-grade nicotine and food-grade flavor added. Black Buffalo smokeless tobacco alternative products are sold in-store and online.

Imperial said Black Buffalo products will complement its Zone flavored nicotine pouches by "offering a differentiated experience and appeals to different consumers."

"This acquisition reflects our disciplined and focused approach to building a stronger next-generation product portfolio in markets where we see attractive long-term growth opportunities," Imperial chief executive Lukas Paravicini said.

"Black Buffalo is a strong, challenger brand with a highly differentiated proposition and complements our broader growth strategy."

Imperial's next-generation products showed market share growth - primarily outside the U.S. - with heated cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and other modern oral products.

Before the Black Buffalo purchase, the three key smokeless products for Imperial have been: heated tobacco with Pulze 3.0, particularly in Italy and Greece, but not available in the U.S.; blu eCigs vaping; and in modern oral where new product launches in Skruf and Zone in the Nordics and U.K.

During fiscal 2025, Imperial's U.S. sales rose 2% to $3.8 billion, representing a 1% gain in traditional cigarettes to $3.7 billion and a 62.8% surge in smokeless tobacco and nicotine products to $91.9 million.

"The oral category continues to evolve rapidly, and this acquisition further strengthens our ability to compete and grow across differentiated segments," ITG president and chief executive Kim Reed said.

"We look forward to deploying our best-in-class sales execution, retail relationships and nationwide commercial infrastructure to reach new Black Buffalo consumers and accelerate long-term growth."

Mark Hanson, co-founder and president of Black Buffalo, said the company chose to be acquired by Imperial because "of the opportunity with our new colleagues to combine our brand and product expertise with their scale, resources and commercial capabilities."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.