Founded by the 1st Marquess of Comillas in Barcelona in 1881 and based in Manila, it is also simply known as Tabacos de Filipinas in Spain,[3] and as La Tabacalera in the Philippines.

[4] Although the company today specializes in tobacco trading, over the years the company also ran a shipping line and established factories with the aim of cultivating, trading, manufacturing, and commercializing tobacco from the Philippines.

Owned by Spanish interests for most of its history, the Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas was in sharp decline between the 1950s and 1990s, during which it sold most of its ancillary businesses in the Philippines to focus solely on international tobacco trading.

[8] Regarding distribution, the company operated in three markets: The National Historical Institute issued a marker along Romualdez St. in Ermita, Manila in 1951.

It also notes that the reconstruction of its central office after World War II symbolizes the reemergence of the company as a key player in the country's progress.