San Francisco County
Biographies
CHARLES
JACOBS & JACOB BRANDT
JACOBS
& BRANDT, proprietors of the Las
Palmas Cigar Factory of San Francisco. This
business enterprise was established by Mr. Charles Jacobs in 1883, under name
of Charles Jacobs & Co., at 508 Washington street, and the
growth was such that in a few years larger quarters were needed, and he removed
to 420 First street, where, with enlarged facilities, the business continued to
prosper. After three years larger space was secured at 309 and 311 Front street,
where the business continued to grow, and in 1889 Mr. Brandt, one of the most
experienced cigar manufacturers on the coast, became a partner. The
addition of this gentleman was a new source of strength and power to the
business, and still higher success attended them, and they planned and had
erected their present building, Nos. 608 and 614 Front street--the best planned
building for the business in the city. In contains 30,000 square feet of
floor, and is three stories and basement. Their cigars are made on the
Spanish system, of choice Havana tobacco, which they pack under their own
supervision in Havana. They employ 275 men, and even now find it difficult
to keep up with their orders. When Mr. Jacobs began the business there
were fifteen established competitors in San Francisco, and it seemed a
questionable undertaking to start another factory, but such has been the
phenomenal success of the Las Palmas factory that they are now the leading
cigar manufacturers on the pacific coast, and the quality of their goods is
unsurpassed by any imported goods. The basement of their building is
filled with imported stock, and back of their commodious office, on the first
floor, is the shipping room, and around the walls of their room are cases with
doors in which are kept many thousands of dollars worth of costly labels used
on their goods. The second story is occupied to its fullest capacity as a
stock room and for the manufactured goods, and the third floor is the factory
proper, where Mr. Brandt, with his 275 men, manufacture
immense quantities of their choicest brands of cigars. These gentlemen
have met with the well-merited success by the manufacture of their clear Havana
"Las Palmas" Cigar, which has become widely known and a great
favorite. Their trade extends as far east as Chicago, including the Western
States, the Pacific coast and the Sandwich Islands. Messrs. Jacobs &
Brandt for years had been warm friends previous to their partnership, and had
been connected with another house fourteen years.
Charles Jacobs, the founder of the business, was born in
Syracuse, New York, and came to San Francisco in 1875. He has been in the
tobacco business all of life, and is thoroughly informed in every branch of the
trade, having traveled all over the Northern States and the West selling cigars
since 1873. He is a pleasant, capable and expert business man, has learned
the wants of the trade, and has a very extensive acquaintance. Jacob
Brandt was born in England, and came with his parents to the United States when
six months old. They came direct to San Francisco, where our subject began
the cigar business when very young, and has made it his exclusive industry for
thirty years. He has acquired the reputation of being the best cigar
manufacturer on the coast. He has entire charge of the manufactory, while
Mr. Jacobs has charge of the financial part of the business. They are
hard-working gentlemen, are full of enterprise, and have a most promising
future before them.
Transcribed
5-03-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The
©
2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.