Established in 2014, Artisan Leaf is owned and operated by three partners: Sebastian Correa, George Newsome, and Reggie Harrison. Based out of Wilson, North Carolina, Artisan Leaf started out creating unique pieces that pay tribute to the rich tobacco heritage of this region. Over the last ten years, Artisan Leaf has grown to source leaves from all over the world and create premium, design-forward surfaces and furnishings crafted for residential, commercial, and hospitality spaces that value originality and refined detail.
Sebastian oversees production, brand strategy and positioning. Born in Chile and raised in Miami, he served in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War. He holds a BFA in Commercial Arts from Fayetteville State University, and an MBA from Wake Forest University. Before returning to North Carolina, he immersed himself in New York City's famed art and rock and roll scene.
George is the expert for the tobacco we source from all over the world. Born in North Carolina, he also grew up in Miami where he met Sebastian. He attended Barton College in Wilson, NC and started working for Standard Commercial Tobacco company in 1995 where he met Reggie. Today, he owns a successful tobacco brokerage in Wilson, NC.
Reggie manages customer relations and order fulfillment. Reggie has travelled and studied internationally after attending University of North Carolina and obtaining his MBA at University of South Carolina. Later he lived in Miami where he ran a sales territory in Latin American and the Caribbean for another firm for 13 years prior to returning to his hometown, Wilson.
Artisan Leaf is well recognized and continues to receive press from many sources of media.
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Wilson was a small, sleepy, cotton-farming community, when on September 10,1890, the Wilson Tobacco Market was born. No one knew if the market would be successful but many were willing to take a chance, as shown by the influx of tobacco entrepreneurs, mostly from southern Virginia and the Northern Piedmont section of North Carolina.
The market began with one warehouse, but no sooner had the auctioneer’s chant ended that first day than plans were being made to build more. By 1900, there were four warehouses and more than 15,000,000 pounds of tobacco were being sold annually.
Wilson grew from a town of 1,474 people in 1900 to a bustling community of 14,555 by 1916, with a great portion of the economy centered around tobacco. 1919 was a landmark year as Wilson surpassed other tobacco auction centers, especially Danville, VA, and became “The World’s Greatest Tobacco Market.” From 1902 to 2000, according to Wilson Tobacco Board of Trade figures, 6,422,417,968 pounds of tobacco were sold on the Wilson market for $5,239,507,856.
The establishment of the tobacco market in 1890 ultimately resulted in Wilson becoming the "World's Largest Tobacco Market." The Civil War brought hard times for the county and the economic situation did not improve until the coming of the "golden leaf". Tobacco brought money, employment, businesses, and industry.
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