Sustainable gum brand Milliways has netted a £1m cash injection.
The brand has completed a funding round from investors with an eye to expanding its distribution in the UK and raising awareness of “the impact of the single-use plastics in conventional gum that are by-products of the petroleum refining process”.
Investors included Leon Amram, one of the owners of Intergum, which was sold to Cadbury Schweppes in 2007.
Milliways, launched in January 2021, had “opted to launch via independent retailers to build credibility alongside other artisan and environmentally-conscious brands and to tap into the close relationships these stores have with local customer communities” but would now target the mults and “further e-commerce”, it said.
Milliways was “immensely proud to now have investors of Leon Amram’s calibre”, said its founder Tom Raviv. “Our ambition is to build on our network of trusted independent retailers and make Milliways a market leader that’s available everywhere – in every convenience store, supermarket and coffee shop.”
The fledgling brand’s recipes are 100% biodegradable and sugar-free, featuring eight naturally-derived ingredients: sapodilla tree chicle sap, natural flavours, xylitol, stevia, gum arabic, vegetable glycerine, magnesium stearate and ethically and sustainably sourced carnauba wax – sidestepping the plastics used in some competitors.
“Younger generations in particular are increasingly conscious of plastic waste but may not realise their gum is contributing to the problem. Milliways are not the only plastic-free option but we have taken the time to establish a sustainable and scalable model so more people can make a positive environmental choice and a healthier one too,” said Raviv.
No comments yet