Made in America: Highlighting U.S.-based companies
There still is something to be said about the home-field advantage. For suppliers manufacturing in the United States, many of them touted similar advantages to domestic production — shorter lead times, less pricey shipping, and the ability to be nimbler than their counterparts whose products are produced entirely overseas and that have to deal not only with the time it takes to get stateside but the red tape and complications that come with importing.
The companies that DSN is highlighting this month are a testament to the fact that American manufacturing hasn’t completely disappeared. Indeed, they show that across CPG categories and even pharmaceuticals, there still is an opportunity for a company to produce its inventory in-country — and potentially thrive as a result.
Particularly at a time when global supply chains have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the following 21 companies are great examples of suppliers aiming to be reliable partners to retailers looking to highlight more American-made products on their shelves.
Acella Pharmaceuticals
Especially during an ongoing trade war with China and potential safety issues with products coming from overseas, Acella Pharmaceuticals works entirely with American producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished-dose pharmaceuticals. The Alpharetta, Ga.-based company has been shipping commercially since 2008. It does most of its manufacturing through Sovereign Pharma, its wholly-owned contract development and manufacturing organization, and works with U.S-based contract manufacturers otherwise.
Bavis Drive-Thru
There’s a lot more to a pharmacy drive-thru than you might think. Which is why Bavis Drive-Thru, based in Cincinnati, has carved out its niche with its made-in-America drive-thru products. Among its offerings are remote-lane solutions and transaction drawers, as well as its specialized BEAM audio that reduces environmental noise and boosts human speech. Company officials said that its U.S. manufacturing allows for some products to ship within 24 hours via FedEx overnight, and its larger products can be installed by qualified on-site technicians.
Bravus Brewing
Bravus Brewing stands behind the ingredients in its beer and believes manufacturing in the United States is the only way to truly do that. The company’s lineup of six beers — an IPA, an oatmeal stout, an amber ale, a white ale, a raspberry gose and a Mexican-style cerveza — feature fresh ingredients, so making sure the product can reach retailers in a timely manner is central to their quality. Looking forward, the company suggests investing in upgrading supply chain technology to improve efficiencies, lower costs and improve reaction time through better data.
Brunswick Pharma
Private-label manufacturer Brunswick Pharma offers OTC products for retailers to use within their store-brand portfolio. The Edison, N.J.-based company’s selection includes equivalents to well-known traditional OTCs, as well as equivalents to various homeopathic brands. The company said that its wholesale customers see more profit from the store-brand items due to the ability to offer them at lower prices than the national brand. Brunswick Pharma’s facilities are FDA registered and compliant with good manufacturing practices.
Clavél
Clavél’s flagship brand, Blue Stop massage gel, is focused on helping relieve body aches with its blend of natural menthol, MSM, glucosamine and organic aloe vera, as well as emu and coconut oils, to nourish the skin. For the Abilene, Texas-based company, which has been operating for 20 years, the made-in-America achievement means more direct communication with its buyers and replenishment managers. As for the future, the company said plastic bottles and pumps being manufactured in the United States would be a boon.
DayClear
OTC cough-cold and allergy relief that you can see through — that’s the simple proposition behind DayClear’s line of products, which include allergy relief, sinus relief and cough-cold and flu relief products, as well as nighttime cold and flu product NiteClear. For 18 years, DayClear has been manufacturing in Fort Worth, Texas, producing its dye-, sugar-, alcohol-and gluten-free products that it said is able to offer better pricing on by dint of manufacturing them in the United States.
Global Healing
Global Healing is a family-owned supplement company that has been based in Houston since 1998. The company, which added a manufacturing facility in Arizona six years ago, focuses on sourcing certified organic raw materials for its various cleanses and supplements, with a particular preference in American-grown organic materials. In terms of improving the supply chain, Global Healing said that an increase in the number of U.S.-based organic raw material growers could strengthen the system.
It’s All Good
With a selection of personal care and health items that range from natural deodorant to antioxidant glow serum and essential oils, Salt Lake City-based It’s All Good has been manufacturing products out of New Mexico since it launched three years ago. The company is focused on transparency and uses only 100% natural ingredients in its products. Like several other suppliers manufacturing domestically, the company said it would like to source its external components in the United States.
L. Frances Caramel
Working with local farmers is the key to quality at L. Frances Caramel. The Appleton, Wis.-based company has been making its original caramels with Wisconsin Grade AA butter for 13 years. Doing so also maximizes freshness. The company said that often its products ship to retailers the day they are made, which enables a mass-market product that boasts candy-store quality.
Maya Cosmetics
Chicago-based Maya Cosmetics has been operating since 1978. The company specializes in breathable, vegan and halal nail polishes, driven by a mission to offer a way for all women to express themselves. Its products also are free of nine potentially harmful chemicals — ahead of the industry-standard 5-free label. By doing a lot of overseas exporting, Maya said that American-made products are seen as high quality and are trusted more. Maya also said that moving forward, a supply chain that includes more domestically made ingredients and components would be ideal.
Ndal Manufacturing
Ndal’s flagship ManukaGuard brand is designed to use manuka honey from New Zealand to help remedy a variety of ailments, from gut health to immune support and nose and throat health. Among the latest products of the 11-year-old company’s 17 SKUs is the Nasal Spray Allercleanse that uses manuka honey to clear the sinuses. Ndal, headquartered in Monterrey, Calif., uses Sheffield Pharma to manufacture the product in New London, Conn. Company officials stressed that once consumers try their nasal spray items, they will come back to buy other items in their assortment. It is all about repeat business, they claimed.
NuAngel
With sustainability making big inroads among consumers, NuAngel is looking to bring a sustainable focus to baby care products in both the branded and private-label markets. The women-owned business’ selection includes changing pads, as well as sustainable facial rounds and cleansing cloths that are good for sensitive skin. The Athens, Ala.-based company uses U.S.-grown cotton and U.S.-based production, which it said helps ensure quality and flexibility in packaging and shipping based on retailer needs.
Pacific Shaving
With a full suite of shaving and grooming essentials, Pacific Shaving’s American-made products are looking to bring quality options to the category with American manufacturing backing them up. The company, run by husband-and-wife duo Stan Ades and CC Sofronas, is focused on premium products that use safe, natural and plant-derived ingredients. Pacific Shaving said that its California manufacturing makes lead times shorter and improves quality control, while enabling more sustainable supply chain practices.
Pantheryx
Boulder, Colo.-based Pantheryx is focused on using bovine colostrum to address various health conditions. Its flagship product, DiaResQ, is a drug-free diarrhea-relief product manufactured at the company’s facility in Phoenix. Officials at the company said they work with American farmers to provide a high-quality product. One of the advantages the company said stems from its U.S.-based production is the faster shipment times once products are finished.
Pleasant Street Designs
Pleasant Street’s home décor signs are designed to let retailers offer consumers a way to express themselves, while also bringing in a good margin. The 25-year-old company, which manufactures out of Massachusetts, includes among its offerings its three-quarter inch tall signs in 1,000 styles, all of which carry a suggested retail price of less than $10 and offer retail margins of 60 points and up. Pleasant Street also offers custom branding and pre-ticketing to accompany its products, which it said are able to quickly respond to trends. Its latest round of Skinnies celebrates healthcare heroes, with messaging focused on healthcare response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Raw Sugar Living
With its wide distribution to various regional and national chains — including Target, Meijer, HE-B, Wegmans and Harmon — Raw Sugar Living’s priority is being close to its retail partners. The company, with its headquarters in Florida and production facilities in Los Angeles, said that the U.S.-based production allows it to offer its products at lower price points and provide faster restocks with quicker shipping time. Raw Sugar Living also said that by formulating its products in-country, it’s able to ensure quality and deliver on its mission of offering plant-derived, naturally sourced, PETA-certified products that are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates and dyes.
Session Savers Sunscreen
Designed to be ultra-portable, Session Savers Sunscreen is a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen sold in packs of 10 1.3-ml pouches. Each package includes a chain that fits through a hole at the top of the Session Savers pouch to make sure it’s always handy. The company produces its sunscreen in Texas and the ball-chain that accompanies the pouches in New York. Domestic production, coupled with the small size of the product leads to lower transportation costs, according to the company.
Sinol USA
Since getting its start in 2005, Sinol USA has been manufacturing out of the East Coast with its current manufacturing being done in Connecticut and Florida. The Newtown, Conn.-based company offers nasal sprays meant to help relieve allergy and sinus symptoms, as well as headache and cold and flu symptoms. Sinol’s all-natural products are formulated to be non-drowsy and offer drug-free symptom relief. The company said manufacturing in its two locations offers its clients faster delivery times and lower shipping costs, as well as fewer out-of-stocks.
Suncayr
Buffalo, N.Y., may not be known as a particularly sunny destination, but it is where Suncayr is innovating in the sun care category. The 3-year-old company manufactures Spot My UV, a UV-sensitive sticker that applies clear when putting on sunscreen and turns purple when the user should reapply sunscreen. The company said that its single product line and its American manufacturing means less paperwork when Suncayr up as a new vendor, and also is a mark that the company said should reassure retailers as to product quality.
Tango Labs
Tango Labs’ Splizz Essentials brand of hand sanitizer is very new to the market — it began manufacturing in California near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s products are made in a manufacturing practices facility that has been vetted by the FDA, and officials said that its American-based offering means a U.S. source for supply of a hot item. The company said it plans to invest in its own mold to produce caps in the United States, rather than import them, making its products 100% made in America.
Uniweb
For more than 20 years, Uniweb has been manufacturing the components for its modular spaces — including pharmacy counters, work stations, front-store systems and even exam rooms within pharmacies — in Corona, Calif. The company prides itself on the versatility of its offerings, as well as the tax advantages the quick-installing rooms lend when compared with standard construction.
Zotos Professional
Zotos Professional manufactures the Bioterra, Age Beautiful and All About Curls brands, among others, from its Geneva, N.Y., facility, which was incorporated in 1929. The company, which was acquired by Henkel in 2017, will be linked into the parent company’s supply chain in 2021, increasing its access to vendors and driving efficiencies, officials said. In addition to its manufacturing supporting the local economy and reducing shipping costs while offering nimbler production with shorter lead times, Zotos Professional also will be focused on Henkel’s sustainability goals.