Grand River Enterprises
Grand River Enterprises is a privately owned tobacco manufacturer and distributor located on the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve in the province of Ontario. It sells cigarettes under the brand names Sago, Putters, DK's, Ménage, Oakdale and Golden Leaf in Canada and Seneca, Opal and Couture in the United States.
The company is wholly native owned and is fully licensed by the federal government as a tobacco manufacturer.
The company was sued in March 2013 by New York State, which alleged that it was selling untaxed cigarettes to retailers in New York. The suit alleged that the sales violated the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act and the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act, as well as state tax and health laws.
The Six Nations Council continues to advocate that the millions of dollars paid by GRE to the federal government should be directly reinvested into the community since more taxes are paid by GRE compared to the annual transfer payment provided by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
GRE is facing a new battle due to counterfeiting of its products. The company has called on First Nations communities to put regulations in place that manufacturers can turn to when their tobacco products are counterfeited.
