Big League Chew gum manufacturer responds to changing demand since COVID

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.

Read the full story on WKBW.com.

About Big League Chew

Sitting in a bullpen in Oregon in the summer of 1977, Portland Maverick lefthander Rob Nelson came up with an idea that has had a lasting impact on the game of baseball: shredded bubble gum in a stay-fresh pouch. Since hitting the shelves in 1980, Big League Chew has produced and sold more than one billion pouches and is designated as the “Hall of Fame Bubble Gum” by the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. 

Big League Chew is proudly made in the USA by Ford Gum, a top manufacturer and co-manufacturer of assorted gums, confections, and health-related products for leading American brands.

For more information and product offerings, visit www.BigLeagueChew.com. Follow @BigLeagueChew on Facebook, Twitter, @BigLeagueChewGum on Instagram, and @BigLeagueChewOfficial on TikTok.