VILLAGE OF AKRON, N.Y. (WKBW) — Western New York is home to many hidden gems — one of which is a major gum manufacturer.
Nestled in the Village of Akron lies Ford Gum, most known for its production of Big League Chew, a shredded bubble gum.
The company has a rich history. Ford Mason, originally a roofing salesman, started his gumball business in the early 1900s and expanded his company, Ford Gum, to Akron, New York in 1960 to continue his pursuit of gumball manufacturing and the gumball machine industry.
Big League Chew production came to Akron in 2011, and the factory has been the sole manufacturer of the popular brand since.
Studies show the gum industry is still bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of people wearing masks meant that fewer people were chewing gum — putting companies in a sticky situation.
“People stopped actually going to gumball machines and turning knobs and handling gum in that fashion,” Carl Fix, Vice President of Operations at Ford Gum, said.
Fix also mentioned that the rising cost of sugar during the pandemic made the cost of gumball production too costly.
However, Fix told 7 News reporter Hannah Ferrera that Big League Chew is now hitting a home run and changing the game — with a pent-up demand for gum since the pandemic.
“We are going through a rebranding,” Fix said. “We’re rebranding Big League Chew to show a more diversified character portfolio across all the different packages.”
He said Big League Chew is also introducing more limited-time gum options to keep gum chewers on their toes. This includes a peppermint flavor that will be coming out during the holiday season.
Last year, the factory’s 70 employees made 3.5 million pounds of Big League Chew shredded bubble gum using 2.5 million pounds of sugar.
While Big League Chew makes up over half of Ford Gum’s manufacturing, it is not the only type of gum the Western New York company produces.
Shannon Spiesman, Director of Research and Development at Ford Gum, said the company often collaborates with privately labeled customers.
“They will come to us and sometimes they have an idea of what they want, and they will have a starting point,” Spiesman said. “Other times I will work with them to come up with the right product."
She said she works to keep the same texture gum chewers know and love while also adding some innovative elements.
“We’ve done products that have delivered vitamins. We’ve talked about doing products with calming aspects for nighttime, as well as different energy gums with different vitamin blends in it,” she said.
The company has worked with caffeinated gum (one piece is equivalent to one to two cups of coffee) and sugar-free gum with ingredients that are dental-recommended and considered tooth-friendly.
Ford Gum also produces gum for members of our military.
“A little two-pack goes in the military MREs,” Fix said. “We also have a military energy gum that helps you with alertness.”
Ferrera was told gum lovers can expect a gumball comeback in the near future to bring back Ford Mason’s company roots.
“There’s a really high demand for that nostalgia piece around gumballs,” Spiesman said. “So bringing that back here will be really exciting for Ford Gum and for … Akron too because that’s what they know us for.
