Cigar Aficionado

Fritz Bossert, a veteran of the tobacco trade for more than 40 years, died suddenly on Sunday May 12. He was 67 years old. Bossert had served as the chief executive officer of Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co. and regional director of Universal Leaf Tobacco Co.’s dark air-cured group. He was planning on retiring in July.

Bossert spent most of his adult life working around tobacco and traveling the cigar world, working in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines and the United States. Born Friedrich Georg Bossert in Mannheim, Germany, he was raised by a farmer. He started his career at a small German tobacco company, and in 1996 he moved his family to the United States working as the vice president of tobacco purchasing at General Cigar, the maker of Macanudo, Partagas and many other cigars.

He joined Universal Corp., a public company based in Virginia that’s a leading supplier of tobacco worldwide, in 2002 as vice president for Gebrüder Kulenkampff and was promoted to senior vice president of international operations and sales for the Universal subsidiary Lancaster Leaf in 2005. In 2009, he was elected as the regional director of Universal’s worldwide dark air-cured tobacco operations, and at the same time was elected the chief executive officer of Lancaster Leaf. “Virtually every U.S. cigar manufacturer, as well as chewing tobacco maker, buys from Lancaster Leaf,” the company wrote on its website. “The tobacco it sells comes from Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, South and Central America and the domestic farms of central Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia and Connecticut.” Lancaster is a subsidiary of Universal Corp., which has revenues of roughly $2.6 billion.

Universal Chairman, president, and CEO George C. Freeman III called Bossert “a giant in the dark air-cured industry,” who was “just as comfortable attending a black-tie gala as he was standing in the middle of a wrapper field talking to a farmer. I will dearly miss his wisdom, sense of humor, his courteous manner, and his friendship.”

Bossert was known for his ever-present supply of cigars, which he called “Fritz Sticks.” It was a private blend, something that was never sold, but meant to be given away. “He always would say he didn’t want anyone on staff to have to buy a cigar,” said Richard Wood, the incoming CEO of Lancaster Leaf. “That will continue as long as we have tobacco.”

Bossert is survived by his wife Claudia, who he was married to for more than 36 years, his mother Marianne and his four children: Tina Burke (Shawn Burke); Anna Bossert (Zachary Bushmire); Lisa Bossert (Stephen Neagle) and Julia Bossert (Christopher Chubb), all of Lancaster. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Julian, Elliott, Nolan, Eleanor and Charlotte; three siblings: Heinrich Bossert (Martina Schwarz), Ilse Wiester (Roland Wiester), Thomas Bossert (Petra Deibe) along with many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life ceremony for Bossert will be held at 11 AM next Thursday, May 23, at Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Fritz’s memory may be made to Central American Relief Efforts, C/O Mr. Steve Mentzer, 1680 New Holland Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601.

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