Truegum is one of the latest additions to the Humble family of companies. Founded by four friends in Denmark, the company has taken on the challenge to change chewing gum for good.

We met with the founders to learn more about Truegum and what the journey has been like so far.

Tell us, how did it all start?

The company was founded in 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmark, from where we were four friends with a small chewing gum side project that turned into a fulltime venture in the pursuit of changing chewing gum, for good. True Gum was launched, as we after a meal started discussing how chewing gum was made and discovered that most regular chewing gum is made with synthetic polymers, also known as plastic. It sounds like a joke, but it’s not.

We then agreed to develop a plastic free chewing gum and set up our own plastic free chewing gum factory in Copenhagen. From here we wanted to offer a sustainable chewing gum alternative to retailers across the world, and pave the way for more transparency, sustainability, and better ingredient choices in the food industry.

What would you say has been the recipe for the success of True Gum so far?

To go up against a big and established industry on a daily basis has required a lot. It’s difficult to put shortly, but to mention a few things I would say hard work, courage, a fantastic team and being uncompromising in sticking to our mission all the way.

True Gum is a relatively new member of Humble Group. What compelled you to become part of the group? What has the experience been like so far being part of Humble Group?

Since day one, we have aspired to be a force for good within global FMCG. By joining forces with Humble Group, we are now part of creating a better-for-you-better-for-the-world FMCG powerhouse that can challenge the traditional and large FMCG groups. For us that is impact at bigger scale. That’s why we wouldn’t pass on the opportunity to become part of Humble Group.

It’s been a great experience so far. From the beginning, Humble Group told us that they wouldn’t run the company. We consult with them on decisions, but they believe in our continued ability to run and grow this company. And in the meantime, they are very helpful in facilitating synergies to happen within the group.

Sustainability is clearly at the heart of the business model for True Gum. Looking ahead, what do you as the key initiatives on your sustainability agenda?

The plastic-free mindset is booming like never before. But doing one thing is not enough. True Gum is on a mission to pioneer and drive sustainable change – not just plastic reduction. So we need to keep exploring ways to be more sustainable when looking at ingredient choices, packaging, the supply chain, and inside your business. We have a handful of great projects underway and look forward to reveal more in the period ahead.