- The makers of Purell are boosting production of the hand sanitizer amid the coronavirus outbreak, the company told Business Insider.
- The hand sanitizer has been selling out on Amazon and at some Walmarts and Targets as fears of the virus grow.
- Gojo Industries, the company that makes Purell, is a family-owned business that was founded by Jerry and Goldie Lippman in Akron, Ohio, in 1946.
- Today, the company is run by Marcella Kanfer Rolnick , the executive chair and a third-generation member of the Kanfer-Lippman family.
- Her brother, Jaron Kanfer, cofounded a Miami-based apparel and accessories brand with LeBron James .
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
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Meet the Ohio family that invented Purell, the world's best-selling hand sanitizer flying off shelves amid the coronavirus pandemic
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The maker of Purell, one of the world's most ubiquitous hand sanitizer brands, is ramping up production of the hand sanitizer amid the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to Business Insider.
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As fear of the coronavirus spreads, so many people have been buying Purell that Gojo Industries (the company that makes it) is boosting production of the hand sanitizer, a representative for the company confirmed to Business Insider.
The product is selling out on Amazon , with some vendors boosting prices to as much as $100 per bottle, as Business Insider's Bethany Biron recently reported.
"We have experienced several demand surges in the past during other outbreaks and this is on the higher end of the spectrum but not unprecedented," Gojo Industries spokesperson Samantha Williams said in a statement shared with Business Insider. "We have added shifts and have team members working overtime in accordance with our plans for situations like this."
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WHO officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic on Wednesday.
Gojo Industries, the company that makes Purell, is a family-owned business that started in Ohio in 1946 and invented Purell hand sanitizer in 1988. A Gojo spokesperson told Business Insider the company does not comment on its financial information because it's privately held, but corporate intelligence website Owler estimates the company's annual revenue at $560 million.
Here's a look at the 74-year-old company and the family behind it.
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SEE ALSO: Purell hand sanitizer is selling out on Amazon as coronavirus fears grow and some third-party vendors are now selling bottles for more than $100
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