Puritan Medical Products Kicks Off 100th Anniversary Celebrations

Puritan Medical Products Co. LLC (Guilford, ME, USA), a global manufacturer of single-use products, is all set to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. Puritan is planning a series of employee and community events throughout the year as well as customer appreciation and other outreach efforts to celebrate the people who have been the foundation of Puritan’s ability to achieve the 100-year milestone.

From its humble beginnings in 1919 as The Minto Toothpick & Specialty Company that manufactured mint-flavored toothpicks, Puritan has evolved into a global manufacturer of single-use products for more than a dozen market sectors, with a strong focus on the diagnostics industry. It has a varied product line that includes basic spun fiber- and foam-tipped applicators, dry and media transport devices, and its patented HydraFlock polyester flock swabs.


Practitioners, technicians and laboratorians in healthcare, diagnostics, forensics & genetics, and environmental sampling rely on the company’s products for their important work. Puritan still offers the familiar cotton tipped applicators, tongue depressors, and similar items for patient care and controlled environments. The first additions to the line were synthetic spun fiber and then foam applicators, followed by polyester flock swabs. The company’s most recent developments are dry transport devices as well as swabs with transport media for the collection and transport of microbiological and molecular specimens.

“The world of diagnostics is perpetually evolving,” said Timothy Templet, executive vice president of sales at Puritan. “As medical diagnostics advance, Puritan responds by continuing to provide products that meet current needs. Our R&D staff is constantly evaluating market changes and developing innovative new products that are both user friendly and well aligned with the current diagnostic methods.”