TopGum is taking North America by storm with its functional gummies
On a mission to become the world’s strongest functional gummy brand, TopGum is leading the way for the first truly sugar-free delivery system. With a strong in-house research and development (R&D) team, the company is constantly expanding its portfolio of dietary and nutraceutical gummies, from pre and probiotic supplements to beauty gummies and immune system boosters.
Jennifer Toomey, Head of Product Development US, joins us to share more details about how the company became a leading functional gummy manufacturer.
“TopGum was established in 2004 as a confectionery company, and it quickly built a strong reputation among several clients and partners across the globe,” Jennifer opens. “In 2018, we expanded our operations into the ever-growing gummy supplement market, significantly increasing our distribution, presence, and partnerships around the world. We re-tooled the entire factory and installed state-of-the-art equipment to enable us to produce vitamin and mineral supplement gummies based on our confectionery heritage.
“We strive to create gummies that offer a tasty and visually enjoyable experience while providing some great wellness benefits. Entrepreneurial spirit runs high across TopGum and we’re constantly challenging ourselves, using new technologies to leverage the benefits of science. Our in-house microencapsulation lab can blend technologies to deliver the best possible experiences for our customers.
“We’re a global company and our largest market is in the US, which accounts for 60-to-70 percent of our business, but we also serve customers in Europe, Australia, and South Africa,” she continues. “We have product catalog with 40 plus formulas which offers a convenient, off-the-shelf product, but most of our business is developing custom formulas to meet specific customer requirements. We think of our product catalog as a starting point, from which customers can assess their core requirements and tailor products to create exactly what they need. From simple formulas that boost vitamin D to more complex solutions like high dosage magnesium, we can provide exactly what our customer needs. Most of our customers opt for custom formulas, and we have over 250 bespoke formulas designed exclusively to meet their specific needs.
“We produce gummies in different health categories like women’s health, gut health, active lifestyles, and mental health, most of which can be low sugar or sugar-free, using a prebiotic dietary fiber base rather than a sugar base. In all the formulas that we make for our customers, we always draw upon our roots in confectionary and keep the flavor profile front and center. In certain instances, we leverage our microencapsulation capability to further enhance the delicious flavor experience that consumers expect with gummies. We’ve worked hard to create an appealing iron gummy that challenges the metallic taste of most iron gummies on the market. Blending our encapsulation technology with our flavor expertise, we’ve developed a gummy that enables people to experience the meaningful iron benefits without sacrificing taste and enjoyment. Similarly, we’ve pioneered a magnesium gummy that delivers a high dosage – up to 150 milligrams of elemental magnesium – in a smooth, nicely flavored gummy.”
On the topic of products, Jennifer shares information about the company’s new gummies. “We’ve recently launched a line of Omega 3 gummies, with a high dose of DHA,” she reveals. “Omega 3s can be difficult to include in a gummy, but we’ve leveraged our microencapsulation technology to create an Omega 3 gummy with a pleasant flavor and aroma. We’ve also launched a combined prebiotic probiotic, and postbiotic gummy, leveraging our proprietary prebiotic fiber technology to offer a full gut health solution.”
When it comes to R&D, TopGum excels in providing unique combinations that exceed customer expectations. “I always tell clients not to limit themselves, but instead tell us everything they need, and we’ll do our best to present them with innovative solutions,” Jennifer explains. “Once we’ve produced a great sample, we scale up production and strive to provide a seamless experience for our customers.”
To accelerate its portfolio, TopGum recently acquired Island Abbey Nutritionals, a similarly innovative food science company based in Canada. “Island Abbey Nutritionals is a strong company with a proven track record of innovation and proprietary starchless technology,” Jennifer explains. “Most of our business is based in the US, which is a huge market for supplements and gummies, but by acquiring Island Abbey Nutritionals in Canada, we’re strengthening our position across wider North America. This acquisition not only complements our existing portfolio and technologies but enables us to offer a more tailored product solution and better serve our partners from a production standpoint, due to more localized and agile client management.”
As our conversation closes, Jennifer turns to the next chapter of TopGum’s growth strategy. “We have some big and exciting launches coming later this year, which we’ve already showcased and trialed at some trade shows,” she reveals. “Our CEO recently explained our business with this great analogy; think of us as the palette of colors that help you paint a picture. We demonstrate a selection of products that help clients design their masterpieces, and our mission is to make gummies in an enjoyable format so that people look forward to taking their supplements rather than it being a chore.
“With a foundation of in-house innovation and a portfolio of low-sugar or sugar-free gummy bases and high-dose delivery systems, we see ourselves as true gummy experts. Working with leading ingredients manufacturers, we’ll continue to strengthen our internal capabilities to unlock new opportunities and push the potential of what gummies can deliver.
“We’re growing across the globe, but we’re currently focused on customers in the US and North America,” Jennifer concludes. “As we grow our customer base, we’ll continue to push the boundaries of what gummies are capable of. There’s so much potential in the gummy format and we want to explore how far we can go, blending different technologies to add new product offerings for our customers.”