Alliance One International, Inc. (Alliance One) is a global independent leaf tobacco merchant. The Company selects, purchases, processes, stores, packs and ships tobacco grown in more than 45 countries, serving manufacturers of cigarettes and other consumer tobacco products in more than 90 countries around the world. Alliance One processes tobacco through a mechanized threshing and separating operation and then dries it to meet precise moisture levels in accordance with the customer’s specifications. The processing of leaf tobacco facilitates shipping and prevents spoilage. Alliance One sells its processed tobacco primarily to large multinational cigarette manufacturers, including Philip Morris International, Inc., Japan Tobacco, Inc., Imperial Tobacco Group, PLC, China National Tobacco Co., British American Tobacco, Philip Morris USA, Inc., Eastern Company S.A.E., R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Lorillard Tobacco Company and others.