Beemans Gum

by American Chicle

1890 – 1978 IT CAME BACK

Back. Production stopped in 1978, a nostalgia revival followed in the mid-1980s, and in 2018 Mondelez sold Beemans, Black Jack and Clove to Gerrit J. Verburg Co., which relaunched all three. Today's gum is made in Morocco and contains no pepsin.

Last verified Nov 3, 2026

A pepsin chewing gum invented in Cleveland as a digestive aid, then adopted by pilots, then by grandparents. It went off the market in 1978 and has been drifting on and off it ever since.

🧾 One more thingPutting pepsin in gum was the idea of Dr. Edwin Beeman's bookkeeper, Nellie Horton, in January 1890. The first wrappers carried a picture of a pig, which hurt sales until she talked him into a new logo.

Filed under: Candy & Gum · the ’70s & earlier

🎲 Remember another one 🛒 Test your memory

📅 Timeline

1890Bookkeeper Nellie Horton suggested putting pepsin in gum in January, and Beeman's pepsin gum went on sale in Cleveland the following month.
1899The Beeman Chemical Co. was sold into the newly formed American Chicle Co.
1978Production of Beemans stopped, along with Black Jack and Clove, as demand fell.
1985The gum returned in a mid-1980s nostalgia revival, without the old medical claims.
2018Mondelez sold Beemans, Black Jack and Clove to Michigan-based Gerrit J. Verburg Co., which relaunched them.
2024Verburg added sugar-free versions of Beemans, Black Jack and Clove.

❓ People also ask

Does Beemans gum still have pepsin in it?

No. Pepsin was the original selling point, marketed as a digestive aid, but it was dropped from the recipe long ago and the modern gum does not contain it.

Who makes Beemans gum now?

Gerrit J. Verburg Co., which bought the brand from Mondelez in 2018. The gum is now produced in Morocco and sold mostly through specialty candy shops and online.

Why is Beemans associated with pilots?

It became a favorite with aviators and appears in The Right Stuff (1983), where Chuck Yeager asks for a stick. The claim that Yeager chewed it before every flight is widely repeated but hard to document.

🧾 Sources

Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University, Beeman, Edwin E.
Candy Industry, Gerrit J. Verburg acquires classic gum brands from Mondelez International (2018)
Vending Market Watch, Mondelez International Sells Certain Gum Brands To Gerrit J. Verburg (2018)
Gerrit J. Verburg Co., A Flavorful Journey (Vintage Gums history)
Wikipedia, Beemans gum

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