Food and Beverages
Mayank Nagori on Building GudGum Chewing Gum Without Plastic
In this episode of Brands and Beyond, Mayank Nagori, founder of GudGum, shares how curiosity about food ingredients led him to challenge an entire category. From uncovering the plastic in conventional chewing gum to building a plant-based alternative, he talks about disrupting a legacy market, educating consumers, and scaling a purpose-driven brand in a price-sensitive country like India.
1. Introduction and Personal Journey
You have spent a lot of time in the food industry. What drew you to it?
Mayank Nagori: Since childhood, I have been curious about food. While most kids were just eating Maggi at 14 or 15, I was more interested in understanding how packaged food lasts so long compared to home-cooked meals.
I used to read labels and try to understand how products are made. That curiosity eventually turned into a career. Over the past seven years, I have worked with multiple food brands, helped develop products, and even consulted on scaling kitchen-level products into retail-ready offerings. And now, I am building GudGum.
2. The Origin of GudGum: Plastic in Chewing Gum
When did you first realise that chewing gum contains plastic, and how did that insight lead to GudGum?
Mayank Nagori: I used to chew a lot of gum back in school. But I grew up in a household that was mindful about plastic usage, even before sustainability became a trend.
When I discovered that most chewing gums are made using plastic, I questioned whether it was something essential. I decided it was not and stopped chewing gum for about seven years.
Later, during my masters in food science, I learned that traditional chewing gum was actually plant-based. Indigenous communities in the Amazon used tree sap for chewing. That insight stayed with me and eventually led to the idea behind GudGum.
3. Market Disruption and Business Strategy
Chewing gum is a fairly mature category with limited innovation. What made you believe this was the right space to disrupt?
Mayank Nagori: Chewing gum is a category that has seen very little innovation. Most people are not even aware that it contains plastic.
If you think about brands in this space, you still recall the same few names, largely owned by companies like Wrigley and Perfetti.
From a business perspective, chewing gum is also a very interesting product. It is small, has a long shelf life, and is usually placed at billing counters, which ensures high visibility and impulse purchases. Compared to snacks or beverages, it is easier to distribute and scale.
It is not a very brand-conscious category, especially in offline retail. How are you approaching this challenge?
Mayank Nagori: It is a distribution-driven category. On the online side, our focus is on educating consumers about what goes into conventional chewing gum.
Offline, the goal is to expand availability. It is not easy, but as more players enter the space, it will become easier to build awareness and demand.
4. Target Audience and Consumer Education
Who are you building GudGum for? What does your core consumer look like?
Mayank Nagori: We are currently focused on consumers in Tier 1 cities with higher disposable income, because our product is priced at two to three times that of regular chewing gum.
Our audience includes people between 16 and 40, especially parents who want safer options for their children. We also see demand from young professionals, students, and athletes.
Our products are sugar-free, taste like candy, and also support oral health by helping clean teeth and prevent cavities.
5. Safety, Gulping, and Flavour Longevity
A common question people might have is whether your gum is safe if swallowed. How do you address that?
Mayank Nagori: Since it is plant-based, there is nothing harmful in it. I have personally swallowed gums during product trials and had no issues.
The real concern lies with the synthetic ingredients used in conventional gums.
How do you think about flavour and longevity, especially when compared to conventional gums?
Mayank Nagori: Artificial gums last longer because they use high-intensity sweeteners. Natural ingredients cannot replicate that.
If you think about eating a real strawberry, the flavour lasts for a short time. That is the trade-off with natural products.
6. Unique Products and Innovation
You have introduced some unique variants like activated charcoal. What drives your product innovation, and what can we expect next?
Mayank Nagori: We use activated charcoal, which is known for its cleansing properties. It is particularly useful for people dealing with teeth staining, for example after smoking.
We are also working on new formats like digestive chewing gums with probiotics and enzymes. In the future, we plan to introduce nicotine gums to help people quit smoking.
7. Distribution and Shark Tank Experience
How does your sales split look today? How are you balancing online and offline channels today, and how do you see that evolving?
Mayank Nagori: Currently, it is about 60 percent offline and 40 percent online. Over time, I expect offline to grow to around 80 percent, since chewing gum is largely an impulse purchase.
About half of our revenue already comes from around 250 retail stores across the country.
What was your experience like on Shark Tank, and how did it impact your business?
Mayank Nagori: It was a great platform. It gave us national visibility.
We saw a 50x increase in website traffic and a 30x jump in sales after the episode aired. However, we were underprepared in terms of inventory and could not fully capitalise on the demand.
8. Sustainability and Packaging
Sustainability is a big part of your story. Can you explain the real impact GudGum is creating?
Mayank Nagori: An average chewing gum contains about one gram of plastic. By offering an alternative, every switch to GudGum helps reduce plastic waste.
Our gum, when discarded, breaks down naturally instead of sticking around like conventional gum.
Your packaging has sparked quite a few reactions. Was that intentional?
Mayank Nagori: Yes, some people say it resembles a condom. We designed it to be minimal and modern. If it grabs attention and starts conversations, that works in our favour.
9. Team Dynamics and Advice
You are building this with your brother. How do you manage roles and disagreements?
Mayank Nagori: We have clear boundaries. Disagreements happen, but they do not last long. At the end of the day, we are family.
He focuses more on design, and I handle other aspects of the business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone starting out today?
Mayank Nagori: Work on something you are genuinely passionate about. For me, this interest started in childhood, so I rarely feel burnt out.