G. A. Georgopulo & Co

Mavi Boncuk |


Cairo, Egypt became world famous for the Egyptian style oval cigarettes manufactured there the last two decades of the 19th Century. The late 1870's formation of the Turkish tobacco "Regie" forced almost all Greek and Turk tobacconists doing business in the Ottoman Empire to emigrate to Cairo or Alexandria. At that time Egypt was under the suzerainty of Turkey, along with Greece, the Balkans, Syria and Palestine. 


The new monopoly wouldn't allow tobacconists to make their cigarettes anywhere but in Egypt, nor would it permit Egyptian farmers to grow tobacco. Turkish tobacco is also known as Oriental tobacco, and choice leaves from the different growing districts such as Samsoun, Maden, Dere, Djannik, Bafra and Smyrna in Asia Minor, and Cavalla, Serres, Kir and Zichna in Greece and Macedonia, were exported to Cairo aboard cargo ships owned by the monopoly. 


A very high import tax on this raw tobacco generated a large amount of revenue. However, Egyptian or Turkish style cigarettes were also made in America. Beginning around 1890, many Greeks and Turks who had been making cigarettes in Egypt, immigrated here. G. A. Georgopulo & Co., Inc.[1] was the agent for the Turkish State Monopoly in the United States. George Georgopulo and his brothers Basil and Theodore made their high quality cigarettes at 48 Stone Street, a very old fashion building tucked into the Wall Street financial district of lower Manhattan. Tobacco workers in this small four story factory made luxury cigarettes for members of America's exclusive private clubs, and a few other discriminating smokers. The brothers liked to tell visitors to their factory that Admiral Byrd took Georgopulo made cigarettes with him on his historic South Pole expedition. Turkish Special Cigarettes, Andron Egyptian Specials, and the perfumed Jezebel Cigarettes were all popular Georgopulo brands. The G. A. Georgopulo & Co. advertised that they had been "Serving America's Best In Good Taste Since 1905."


SOURCE

[1] Located in the financial District of lower Manhattan, in the shadow of landmark institutions like the New York Federal Reserve Bank and Wall Street’s New York Stock Exchange, there is an unassuming brick building tucked away on the corner of a small side street. Seemingly misplaced among New York’s bustling corporate elite, the four-story building on Stone Street was home to the Georgopulo & Company Tobacco Factory. The company was founded in 1905 and run by Greek immigrant George Georgopulo, his brother Theodore and cousin Basil. They manufactured luxury cigarette brands including Turkish Special, Andron Egyptian Specials and the flavored Andron Passions for members of America’s exclusive private clubs and prominent American families like the Astors and the Vanderbilts. In 1928, Georgopulo died, leaving the company to Theodore and Basil. Following the stock market crash of 1929 Theodore also died. With the club business era coming to a close Basil was left with the responsibility of revitalizing the once thriving company