ST. LOUIS - If you've ever popped a tablet for a tummy ache, chances are it was made here.
For decades, Tums has rolled off billions of antacid tablets from its red brick building at 320 S. Broadway in St. Louis, where 99.9 percent of the world's Tums supply is produced. This month marks the 80th anniversary of Tums' production at the five-story plant across from Busch Stadium.
Stephen Bishop, who oversees operations at the plant where he started as a research scientist 38 years ago, said the simplicity of the product's formula explains its longevity and standing as the No. 1-selling antacid in the nation.
"The basic formula is the same as it was 80 years ago," he said.
Every day, 70 giant bags of calcium carbonate and sugar, 2,000 pounds each, are delivered to the plant and mixed with starch and water. A compressor smashes the mix into tablets.
Tums was formulated in 1928 by a St. Louis pharmacist looking to ease his wife's indigestion. Two years later, he began producing and selling the tablets commercially. The brand is now owned by GlaxoSmithKline.
Tums ranks first in the U.S. for the number of units sold, 60.2 million bottles or rolls, for the 52-week period that ended Aug. 8, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a market research firm.
Johnson & Johnson, which makes Rolaids, is Tums' biggest competitor, with 37.24 million sold in the U.S. in the past year.
