A Flavorful Journey

CHEW YOUR WAY THROUGH TIME

1869 | THE CHICLE GAMBLE BEGINS

Mexican exile President Santa Anna introduces inventor Thomas Adams to chicle—an elastic tree sap from the sapodilla tree. Adams hopes to turn it into rubber, but fate has sweeter plans.

1871 | CHICLE TAKES CENTER STAGE

After his rubber dreams stall, Adams pivots. He patents a gum‑making machine and rolls out plain chicle gum sticks—novelty items that launch a new industry.

1876:

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL IS CREDITED WITH PATENTING THE FIRST PRACTICAL TELEPHONE

1879:

THE FIRST COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULB WAS INVENTED BY THOMAS EDISON

The good old licorice flavor! Adams black jack gum. good for the throat. Box of black jack gum

1884 | AMERICA’S FIRST FLAVORED GUM

Thomas Adams enhances his gum with licorice, creating Adams Black Jack—America’s first flavored chewing gum. A taste innovation is born.

1886:

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IS DEDICATED

Beemans' original pepsin chewing gum flyer.

1890S | BEEMANS ENTERS THE SCENE

Dr. Edwin Beeman, a Cleveland physician, crafts Beemans Pepsin Gum, claiming it aids digestion—a response to the traditional flavor of Black Jack and an early crossover between gum and wellness.

1892:

THE FIRST OFFICIAL GAME OF BASKETBALL IS HELD IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

1895:

THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL GAME IS PLAYED IN LATROBE, PENNSYLVANIA

old photo of life on street with large black jack gum billboard

1899 | THE AMERICAN CHICLE COMPANY IS BORN

In the name of scale and distribution, the American Chicle Company brings Beemans and Black Jack under one roof—setting the foundation for gum industry consolidation.

1903:

THE WRIGHT FLYER—THE WORLD’S FIRST POWERED VEHICLE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES OFF THE GROUND

it takes your breath away.. this adams clove gum, clove chewing gum

1914 | CLOVE JOINS THE CLASSICS

The company absorbs Clove Gum, unifying three major gum brands and solidifying its dominance in the chewing gum marketplace.

1931:

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER IS ADOPTED AS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

1958:

EXPLORER I, FIRST AMERICAN SATELLITE, IS LAUNCHED

1962 | A NEW OWNER—WARNER‑LAMBERT TAKES OVER

American Chicle becomes part of Warner‑Lambert, ushering in new corporate resources—and a shift in brand strategy.

1964:

TWIST AND SHOUT BY THE BEATLES IS RELEASED

1971:

THE FIRST EMAIL WAS SENT

1978 | FLAVORS FADE OUT AS TRENDS SHIFT

Changing tastes and declining demand lead to the halting of production for Black Jack, Beemans, and Clove—once iconic, now fading from shelves.

1979:

LEG WARMERS WERE CREATED AS A FASHION STATEMENT FOR ATHLETES AND FASHIONISTAS ALIKE

1981:

THE LAUNCH OF MTV REVOLUTIONIZES THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WITH MUSIC VIDEOS.

drawling of man with glamourous glennis plane

1983–1985 | THE RETRO REVIVAL BEGINS

1983: Beemans appears on the silver screen when Chuck Yeager, the legendary test pilot who broke the sound barrier asks, “Hey Ridley, got any Beemans?” in The Right Stuff.

1985: Warner‑Lambert reintroduces the classic trio in a nostalgia push, though sales only modestly rebound.

1989:

NINTENDO RELEASED THE FIRST GAME BOY

1990 & 2008 | POP CULTURE CHEWS IN

1990: Christian Slater’s character in Pump Up The Volume is inseparable from his Black Jack habit.

2008: Indiana Jones’s son, Mutt Williams (played by Shia LaBeouf), is spotted enjoying Beemans gum in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

2010S:

THE RISE OF SMARTPHONES & SOCIAL MEDIA

Stack of Black jack, beenans and clove chewing gum

2018 | THE VINTAGE GUMS RENAISSANCE

Gerrit J. Verburg Co. revives Black Jack, Beemans, and Clove gums—this time with a mission: keep these timeless classics available for generations.

Sugar free beemans, clove, and black jack chewing gum

2024 | A MODERN TWIST: SUGAR-FREE JOINS THE VINTAGE GUMS LINEUP

Recognizing changing tastes and wellness trends, Gerrit J. Verburg Co. launches sugar-free versions of Black Jack, Beemans, and Clove, offering the same classic flavors with a lighter, guilt-free twist. The past gets a modern makeover.