What Kretek International does

Kretek International is a privately held specialty tobacco distributor and wholesaler headquartered in Moorpark, California, founded in 1988. The company operates as America's premier importer, marketer, and distributor of premium cigars, filtered cigars, specialty tobacco products, tobacco alternatives, and accessories, with a portfolio of heritage brands including Djarum, Cuban Rounds, Hugo Cassar, PSyKo Seven, Cuban Rejects, Slaughterhouse, and Tajmahal. The company also distributes an emerging portfolio of tobacco-free and nicotine-free alternatives — Djarum Bliss, High Tea Wraps, High Tea Cones, and Splash Menthol — alongside accessories including Clipper reusable lighters (exclusive U.S. rights since January 2025) and Fasfil butane.

Kretek operates through three primary distribution channels: a B2B wholesale motion selling to independent tobacco retailers, retail chains, and regional distributors across all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and U.S. military bases globally; a wholly owned subsidiary Phillips & King International serving single-store and chain accounts; and Kretek Canada, a wholly owned Canadian branch. The company also owns Total Product Events, which operates the Total Product Expo — the leading B2B trade show for cigars, specialty tobacco, vapor, and alternatives. Revenue is generated through wholesale product sales at standard wholesale margins, with no disclosed public pricing and trade-only account qualification.

The customer base spans more than 23,000 tobacco retail doors including enterprise chains (7-Eleven, Food Lion), mid-market wholesalers (Campbell Wholesale, Texas Wholesale, Harbor Wholesale, Race Track Wholesale), and long-tail SMB cigar and convenience accounts. The company employs 251-500 people and is led by President and CEO Mark Cassar, with no disclosed external funding or institutional ownership. Core go-to-market relies on outside sales representatives, inside sales support, e-commerce ordering, EDI integration, and the proprietary Total Product Expo event.

Name

Kretek International

Legal name

Kretek International, Inc.

Website

https://kretek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kretek International is a privately held specialty tobacco importer and wholesale distributor, selling premium cigars, tobacco alternatives, and accessories (including exclusive U.S. rights to Clipper lighters) to retailers and distributors across all 50 U.S. states, territories, and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moorpark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Product Sales: Kretek International generates revenue through wholesale distribution of specialty tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and accessories. As America's premier importer and distributor, they sell branded products (Djarum, Cuban Rounds, High Tea, etc.) to retailers and distributors at wholesale margins.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kretek International imports, markets, and distributes specialty cigars, tobacco products, tobacco alternatives, and accessories at wholesale to verified trade customers. The company sells branded products (Djarum, Cuban Rounds, High Tea, Clipper, Hugo Cassar, PSyKo Seven, Slaughterhouse, Tajmahal Bidis, Djarum Bliss, Splash Menthol, Fasfil, and others) to independent retailers, chain stores, and regional distributors across all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and Canada via outside sales reps, inside sales, and an e-commerce/EDI ordering platform.

Product overview

Kretek International is America's #1 importer, marketer, and distributor of specialty cigars, tobacco, tobacco alternatives, and accessories, founded over 35+ years ago. The company operates a portfolio of tobacco products (Cuban Rejects, Cuban Rounds, Djarum Black Classic, Djarum Filtered Cigars, Hugo Cassar, PSyKo Seven, Slaughterhouse, and Tajmahal Bidis), tobacco alternative products (Djarum Bliss, High Tea Cones, High Tea Wraps, and Splash Menthol), and accessories (Clipper Reusable Lighters and Fasfil Butane). The company is organized around key subsidiary brands including Phillips & King (wholesale distribution) and Kretek Canada, and hosts the Total Product Expo trade show. Kretek positions itself as a distributor and wholesaler for trade only, building lasting customer relationships with retailers and distributors across the United States and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Djarum: Filtered cigars celebrated for over 40 years with distinctive crackle, aroma, and balanced taste. Available in multiple varieties including Black, Silver, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Ivory, Special, Balihai, and Splash.
• Djarum Black Classic
• Djarum Bliss
• Cuban Rounds
• Cuban Rejects
• Hugo Cassar
• PSyKo Seven
• Slaughterhouse
• Tajmahal
• High Tea Cones
• High Tea Wraps
• Splash Menthol
• Clipper
• Fasfil

Products and services

• Cuban Rejects Cigars Premium cigars sold since 1976 with Cuban-inspired flavor profiles, available in Natural and Maduro leaf wrappers across five sizes (Robusto, Toro Gordo, Toro, Churchill, Cigarillo). Sold wholesale to retailers.
• Cuban Rounds Cigars Handcrafted, all-natural, affordable cigars featuring complex Havana-style tobacco blends, in Connecticut, Natural, and Maduro wrappers across six sizes with resealable fresh packs. Sold wholesale to convenience and tobacco retailers.
• Djarum Black Classic Cigarillos

Quantifiable outcome

• Djarum sells 192,000,000 sticks annually with repeat purchases driven by unique flavor and aroma experience.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Clipper (Clipper 1959, S.L. / Flamagas, S.A.)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Kretek International appointed as official U.S. importer and distributor for Clipper, the world's leading reusable lighter brand and #1 best-selling reusable lighter globally. Clipper has been pioneering since 1971 and is the absolute reusable lighter global leader. Effective January 1, 2025, Kretek became exclusive U.S. distributor.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Imperial Brands: Imperial Brands is a multinational tobacco company with a significant U.S. footprint through ITG Brands (now Vector Group), offering machine-made cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco alternatives. Competes broadly with Kretek across multiple tobacco categories rather than specializing in the premium cigar niche.
• Swedish Match (Philip Morris International):
• Altria Group: Altria is the largest U.S. tobacco manufacturer and distributor (Marlboro, Copenhagen, Skoal). Operates a much broader tobacco portfolio but overlaps with Kretek in convenience-channel cigar distribution and adjacent smokeless categories. Functions as a broad incumbent reference point for the U.S. tobacco distribution space.

Direct peers

• Scandinavian Tobacco Group: Scandinavian Tobacco Group is a global manufacturer and distributor of cigars, pipe tobacco, and fine-cut tobacco with strong U.S. presence through Cigars International. Comparable product mix and distribution channel to Kretek, with overlap in premium and machine-made cigar segments.
• Swisher International: Swisher International is one of the largest U.S. manufacturers and distributors of cigars and smokeless tobacco, with a comparable specialty-tobacco distribution model and convenience-channel focus. Highly comparable in business model, customer base, and product portfolio to Kretek.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kretek-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kretek International