Sweden's Snus Tobacco Invades, but Americans Prefer Snuff
Swedish Match aims for the hearts and upper lips of U.S. snuffers
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Josh Pedigo likes to spit. The 27-year-old handyman from Wentworth, N.C., started using Skoal snuff when he was 10 years old, and now he spits even when he doesn’t have a wad of tobacco in his lower lip. “It’s just a habit,” he says while building a dog fence in the heat of the afternoon.
Pedigo’s habit poses a problem for Swedish Match, the world’s largest maker of spitless tobacco called snus, as it accelerates its U.S. expansion. Traditional American snuff such as Copenhagen and Skoal goes inside the lower lip, triggering salivary glands that prompt users to spit to avoid swallowing tobacco juice. Snus, more popular than cigarettes in Sweden, is tucked in the upper lip and doesn’t require spitting.