LESSON IV: WRIGLEY’S CHEWING GUM

The Wm. Wrigley’s Jr. Company, known as the Wrigley

Company, is an American chewing gum company founded on
April 1,1891 by William Wrigley Jr. William Wrigley Jr. was born
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 30, 1861. He was the
son of William and Mary A. Ladley. His father was the founder
and president of the Wrigley Manufacturing Company. The main
product of the company was Wrigley’s Scouring Soap.

In his early years, William was interested in his father soap business and when he was 13
years old he became a soap salesman for his father. When William Wrigley Jr was 30 years old, he
moved to Chicago and opening a new branch of his father’s company where he continued to sell
soap and offered baking powder as a premium.

He soon realized that baking soda became more popular as a premium and customers were
more interested in getting baking soda than soap, so he decided to switch to baking powder
business. Baking powder became the primary product of William Wrigley Jr. Company, but he also
offered gum as a premium. Just like the popularity of baking powder as a premium of the soap,
chewing gum became more popular also than the baking powder itself.

He soon abandoned baking powder business and entered the gum industry in 1893.
Wrigley started out with two brands of gum, Vassar and Lotta gums, and soon introduced Juicy
fruit and Spearmint. The latter two brands grew in popularity while the first two were phased out.
Juicy fruit and Spearmint are two of Wrigley’s main brand to this day. Since the chewing gum
business was highly competitive in the late 1800s, William Wrigley Jr. spent more than a million
dollars a year in advertising. He combined gum with other items like lamps, pocket knives,
cookbooks and fishing tackle.

WRIGLEY COMPANY CHEWING GUM

 BENEFITS OF CHEWING GUM

1. REDUCE STRESS AND TENSION

 Chewing gum can help you fight stress and anxiety. Research has shown that students who
chew gum during exam tend to be more alert and focused. This is because gum helps you
cope with the stress that is often associated with the tests. Stress is not the only negative
emotion that chewing gum can help you through. Whenever you feel irritated or frustrated
you might find that chewing gum can help you relax.

2. CONTRIBUTES TO WEIGHT LOSS

 If you’re currently trying to lose weight, chewing gum can also prove to be beneficial for
you. The next time you crave a snack or a second helping of dessert, pop a stick of gum
into your mouth instead. Since gum contains very few calories per serving, it makes an
ideal snack that will not ruin your diet. The act of chewing and the flavor of the gum will
help you fight your cravings for other snacks that are high in calories and fats.

3. BOOSTS MENTAL POWER

 Chewing gum boosts brain activity in several ways. For instance, psychologists have
discovered that chewing gum can help you enhance your memory. When you chew gum,
your hippocampus becomes stimulated. The hippocampus is the part of the brain which
plays a major role in memory. Aside from boosting your memory, chewing gum also
encourages more blood flow to the brain. When you chew gum, your heart rate increases
and more oxygen is delivered to your brain area.

4. IMPROVES ORAL HEALTH

 You were probably told when you were little that sweets and candy can rot your teeth.
However, chewing gum might just do the opposite. If you tend to suffer from oral health
problems like bad breath or gum infection, you might want to chew some gum to relieve
these symptoms. When you chew gum, your saliva production is also stimulated. If you
didn't know already, saliva is the most important factor when it comes to maintaining
good oral health. Saliva has antibacterial properties and can help flush out food debris,
remaining sugars and other harmful acids in your mouth.

5. IMPROVES DIGESTION

 You might not be aware of it but chewing gum can also improve your digestion, as long
as you chew your gum after meals. Notice how you frequently swallow while chewing
your gum, because of excess saliva production? This helps keep digestive acids down in
your stomach.