Cayman Chemical Company was incorporated June 6, 1980 in Denver, Colorado. The goal of the new business was to demonstrate the value of naturally growing gorgonian corals as a renewable, economically viable source of prostaglandins. Careful environmental studies and negotiations with the Grand Cayman government culminated in August of 1981, when an eight pound sample of the gorgonian Plexaura homomalla was collected near Fisherman's Cay in the North Sound of Grand Cayman Island. The coral was frozen and transported to a small lab in Denver where 30 grams of relatively pure Prostaglandin A₂ was extracted. Inspired by this success and the vision of producing affordable, high quality prostaglandins to the research community, the new laboratory printed and mailed a flier offering five prostaglandin standards. In November of 1981, Cayman Chemical closed its first sale.

After several years of growth, the fledgling company moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and established its first complete synthetic chemistry laboratory. From there, operations expanded along with the rapidly growing field of eicosanoid research. Product growth was accelerated by the acquisition of AIA Reagents and the addition of their eicosanoid Enzyme Immunoassy kits to Cayman's product line. Another significant growth spurt came in 1998 with the purchase of our 40,000 square foot research laboratory. A short five years later, we added to capacity again by acquiring a neighboring parcel, bringing the Cayman Campus to 14 acres. Today 4,085 different biochemicals (March, 2010) are manufactured and analyzed on site at our 66,000 square foot facility. We are actively recruiting organic synthetic chemists, and are planning a new, dedicated facility to triple our GMP production capacity.

Cayman has made an ongoing committment to assist young research scientists in new ways that complement the molecular tools we already provide. We now offer travel funds and support to graduate and post-doctoral students who may fill out a support request. While we can't guarantee that we can fund all of the requests, we have already donated many thousands of dollars directly to support the attendance of young scientists at important meetings.

Though Cayman Chemical has changed dramatically over the years, we remain firmly committed to our original goal of providing high quality, affordable products to researchers worldwide. In addition to the Cayman name, other elements of the company origin have been incorporated into our daily business operations to remind us of our corporate history and the founding vision. Although most of our biochemicals are now manufactured by total synthesis, we continue to express appreciation for marine ecosystems by featuring them in our promotional material whenever possible. Their presence serves as a reminder of the significant contributions marine organisms have made to science and the importance of preserving their habitats.