Beeman’s Chewing Gum

I’m a bit of a sucker for consumer products packaged in tins. Awhile ago, I saw a large-ish tin of Beeman’s chewing gum while waiting in the checkout line at JoAnn’s. Of course I purchased it! Inside the tin, was a little paper that gave a brief description of the original gum

It made me curious about this “vintage” product. And, so, I went to the interwebs…

History

The original gum was made by Edward E. Beeman, a physician from Ohio, in the late 19th Century. It was marketed as containing the ingredient Pepsin. According to the thoughts of the day, this was a wonder ingredient that would “relive indigestion.”

As I chewed my first piece of Beeman’s gum, I noticed that it tasted like my grandpa’s Pepsodent toothpaste. (I wondered if maybe that was because that toothpaste had been flavored with Pepsin too?) The gum tasted pretty good, and I wondered what this yummy ingredient was.

What is Pepsin?

Way back in 1836, Pepsin was discovered by Theodor Schwann. It was one of the first enzymes to be discovered. In 1928 John H. Northrop crystallized it for the first time. Commercially it is extracted from hog stomachs and I have to tell you, this doesn’t sound very delicious. It is also a part of rennet, used in making cheese. That was beginning to sound better. Then I learned that it is also used in the leather industry. It removes hair and tissue from hides. There is also the cheerful fact that Pepsin is one of the primary causes of mucosal damage during reflux. So why was it claimed as helping with digestion? Not because it was proven to do so, but because it was before all the rules for truth in advertising. The good news is that Pepsin and Chicle are no longer ingredients in the modern recipe.

So, What is Chicle?

Chicle is a natural gum made from sap collected from several species of gum trees. The sap is collected and then boiled until it reaches the correct consistency. The Aztecs and Maya chewed chicle long before the American chicle Company incorporated in June of 1899. Since the 1960s, most chewing gum has been made from butadiene-based synthetic rubber. This change happened because it is cheaper to manufacture. There are still gum companies using chicle, including Gud Gum, Glee Gum, Simply Gum, and Tree Hugger Gum. I have tried Glee Gum and Simply Gum and find them enjoyable but extra sticky. You don’t want to blow a bubble and have it pop on your face…

Health Claims

Original advertisements claimed that Beeman’s chewing gum would cure indigestion due to the pepsin. There was no proof for this claim, and there still isn’t.

There was also a claim that this gum would prevent seasickness. When air travel became possible, it was also complained that the gum would help with airsickness. There isn’t any scientific proof of these claims. Nevertheless, chewing any type of gum will help to equalize pressure in the ears.

Other Claims

This gum was also well known as being “lucky”. This was due to the story of Chuck Yeager always chewing Beeman’s gum before each test flight. In fact, many pilots traditionally chose Beemans to equalize the pressure in their ears during flight. Thus, there was a big push to revive this gum brand for sale.

Now-a-days

The wrapper design for today’s marketing has been simplified. It now features a simple white sleeve with a black logo. There is also a red banner that reads, “chewing gum”. This is an effective, yet simple design. The redesign of the package does not seem to have diminished it’s popularity at all.

Production of Beeman’s chewing gum was originally stopped due to slow sales in 1978. It was revived in a nostalgia campaign in 1985. Today, the gum is manufactured in Morocco, then imported into the US by Gerrit J Verburg Co. It is not the original recipe, but the flavor is as close to it as possible. One site described the flavor “as a blend between Wintergreen and Juicy Fruit”. To me, as stated above, it tastes like the toothpaste Pepsodent. This gum, along with Blackjack and Clove gums, have a little different chewing texture than modern gums.

I highly recommend trying this gum. From what I could find out, the company doesn’t produce it all of the time, but in large “batches”. Making new batches when sales demand another “batch”. If you really like this gum, stock up on it. This way, you won’t run out! :0)

Clove Chewing Gum