Sheffield Pharmaceuticals extending its global reach
New London — Sheffield Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer that traces its presence here to the mid-19th century, announced Wednesday that it will begin distributing its Dr. Sheffield’s brand toothpaste in China.
The company will manufacture and package the brand for Chinese consumers and distribute it in China through a Chinese company, Ningbo Rswell Trading Co. Ltd., Sheffield said in a news release. The first shipment is scheduled to arrive in China in 2017.
Sheffield employs about 200 people at its 170 Broad St. location and at a warehouse in a Norwich industrial park.
“Growing Sheffield’s export market is a key part of our growth strategy,” Jeffrey Davis, Sheffield Pharmaceuticals’ president and chief executive officer, said. “Chinese consumers are placing high value on the quality, efficacy and safety of health and personal care products in China, and they trust U.S.-manufactured products.
“Our ability to attract export buyers from China is a testament to our team’s focus on quality, innovation and efficiency.”
Sheffield produces more than 100 different formulas, ranging from prescription and over-the-counter health care products to cosmetics, and distributes to more than 70,000 stores globally. It currently exports to 22 countries, and will soon add Bangladesh and Hong Kong as well as China.
Its products have been shipped to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, mainland Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
The company is about to supply a Hong Kong company with a Sheffield-branded first aid product with packaging printed in Cantonese. The company has also packaged products in Spanish and French.
Sheffield was recognized last month for its manufacturing innovations by the Connecticut Technology Council and Marcum LLP, and was named to the Marcum Tech Top 40 list of fastest-growing technology companies in Connecticut.
The company's namesake, Washington Wentworth Sheffield, was born in 1827 in North Stonington and began practicing dentistry in New London in 1852. He and his son, Lucius, were the first people to sell toothpaste in collapsible tubes, according to a history on the company’s website.
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