Swisher has manufactured products since 1861 and ships more than two billion cigars a year to more than 70 countries.

In 1958, the machine-manufactured Swisher Sweets brand was introduced,[1] and by 1964, the company was making four million cigars a day that were being shipped to all 50 states and to 47 foreign countries.

Swisher acquired Universal Cigar in 1986, maker of the low-priced machine-rolled Optimo.

[2] In 1966, Swisher was purchased by William Ziegler III's American Maize-Products and he became chairman of the company, where he remained until his death in 2008.

John Drew had started the company in 1996 with a 16 square feet (1.5 m2) stall at the World Trade Center.