Unforgotten Brands – Wrigley

The Wrigley Story: How Soap, Salesmanship & Grit Built a Gum Empire

From Soap to the Streets of Chicago

In 1891, 29-year-old William Wrigley Jr stepped off a train in Chicago with just $32 in his pocket. That’s about $1,000 today—not a fortune, but enough for someone with big dreams. He began his career as a soap salesman, hustling Wrigley’s Scouring Soap (produced by his father’s company) through the streets of New England.

Young Wrigley wasn’t just selling soap. He was absorbing the art of the pitch—learning how to grab attention, keep customers hooked, and build a product around a promise. He made up for his lack of capital, curiosity, and hustle.

Selling Soap, Pushing Powder, Giving Gum

Wrigley quickly realised that customers needed a reason to buy his soap. So, he offered small incentives—first baking powder, then chewing gum—as a freebie. And something funny happened.

The freebies were more popular than the soap itself.

First, the baking powder outshone the soap, so Wrigley started selling baking powder instead. Then he added gum as a bonus with the powder—and again, people loved the gum even more.

That’s when Wrigley pivoted again. Forget the soap. Forget the powder. He was fully committed to chewing gum.

From Side Hustle to Centre Stage

At first, Wrigley wasn’t inventing gum. He was selling it alongside perks like coffee grinders and display cases to help dealers promote it to consumers. His gift was marketing, not manufacturing.

But that changed in 1911, when he bought out the Zeno Manufacturing Company, giving him complete control of production. Wrigley wasn’t just selling gum; he was building a brand.

Launching the Greats: Juicy Fruit, Spearmint, and Doublemint

The first big break came at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where Juicy Fruit debuted. It started minty but evolved into the fruity flavour we know today.

Not long after, Wrigley launched Spearmint, a sharper, cleaner-flavoured gum that quickly gained traction thanks to a massive advertising campaign. His motto? “Tell ’em quick and tell ’em often.”

Then came Doublemint in 1914—a more substantial, peppermint-forward gum that would become iconic through its Doublemint Twins ad campaign, launched in 1939.

Crises, Comebacks, and a Brilliant Bet

But the path wasn’t smooth. A factory fire, advertising losses, and manufacturing challenges could have permanently closed the doors.

However, in 1907, a financial panic caused advertising prices to plummet. Wrigley seized the moment, buying up ad space across the country. His bet paid off—Spearmint soon became the best-selling gum in the world.

His pitch wasn’t just flavour—it was function. Wrigley claimed his gum relieved stress, soothed stomachs, and sharpened focus. It was almost a wellness product disguised as a candy bar.

Going Global: A Sticky Expansion

Between 1910 and 1939, Wrigley expanded into Canada, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand, launching new products like P.K., a pellet-style gum, and setting up manufacturing hubs abroad.

Back home, production exploded—from 8.5 million to over 10 billion sticks per year in the 1920s. By the time Wrigley died in 1932, his company had generated $75 million in annual revenue, with brands sold in over 30 languages worldwide.

The War Years and Orbit’s Arrival

Ingredient shortages forced the removal of premium gum brands like Doublemint and Juicy Fruit from store shelves during World War II. But Wrigley continued producing them exclusively for American troops—a gesture of patriotism and clever brand-building.

Wrigley filled the void by introducing Orbit, a wartime alternative gum, with a disclaimer that its quality was not up to par. After the war, Orbit disappeared—until its comeback in 1976 as a sugar-free option.

Barcodes and Breakthroughs

In 1974, Wrigley made retail history. A pack of Juicy Fruit became the first product ever scanned using a UPC barcode—a tech milestone.

A decade later, in 1984, Wrigley introduced Extra, a long-lasting, sugar-free gum. Backed by the American Dental Association, Extra quickly became the #1 sugar-free gum in the U.S.

The Mars Merger

In 2008, Wrigley was acquired by Mars, Inc., for $23 billion, creating the world’s biggest candy company. Mars took over chocolates like Snickers and M&M’s, while Wrigley focused on gum and fruity candies.

Today, the combined operation spans 70 countries and has over 30,000 employees, still headquartered in Chicago, where the journey began.

Why Wrigley Still Matters

Wrigley wasn’t just a gum guy. He was a marketer, a risk-taker, and a master of human psychology. He knew how to connect the product to emotion and reshaped how the world viewed chewing gum—from a noisy annoyance to a daily habit.

So, if you’ve ever reached for a piece of gum before a meeting, a date, or a tough conversation, you’ve got William Wrigley Jr. to thank.

It all started with a bar of soap and a little imagination. And that imagination? It’s still fresh.

Reference

https://www.historyoasis.com/post/history-wrigleys

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrigley_Company#1961%E2%80%931999:_William_Wrigley_III