Peppersmith plans March move into mints

London-based Peppersmith​, which launched its first product last January (a high-quality gum containing black mitcham peppermint grown in Hampshire) initially focused on cafes, delis, coffee shops, health and wholefood stores, but has since hit the big time after securing listings in upmarket food retailers Waitrose and Booths.
 
 It's only natural​

 Peppersmith, which plans to expand its brand into mints in March and introduce new gum flavours, avoids artificial flavours, colours and preservatives and sweetens its gum with xylitol (wood sugar from beech trees grown in Austria).
 
 This has helped it secure an endorsement from the British Dental Health Foundation, while xylitol is also one of only a handful of ingredients that has gained a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority under the EU health claims Regulation.
 
 Unlike market leaders Wrigley and Kraft, which use synthetic polymers as their gum bases, Peppersmith uses chicle, the sap from the Sapodilla (ironwood) tree, which it sources from Central America.
 
 Award-winning​
 
 Peppersmith walked away with the Monoprix Trends and Innovations award at international trade show SIAL last year, just nine months after launching its first products.