Mail Pouch

Mail Pouch is a brand of chewing tobacco manufactured by Swisher International. It is known for its historical widespread use of advertisements on barns in rural areas, many of which survive today.

The product got its start in the late 1800s when the Bloch Brothers, Aaron and Samuel, operated a small grocery store in Wheeling, West Virginia with a cigar factory on the second floor. After seeing the men working at the factory chew the cigar clippings, the idea to make a chewing tobacco was born. A flood in 1884 destroyed the grocery store, so the brothers decided to focus on tobacco.

Ownership passed to Jesse Bloch in 1937 and served as president until 1947, when his son, Thomas, took over. Other small, regional tobacco companies were acquired along the way. Bloch Brothers was sold in 1969 to the General Cigar and Tobacco Company, and then acquired by the Helme Tobacco Company in 1983. Helme was later acquired by Swisher International, which still has production facilities in Wheeling.

Mail Pouch differs from other chew products in that it is drier and less sweet than most chew on the market, but it still remains popular.