Perhaps one of the most famous names in the gum industry is William Wrigley. Wrigley was the son of a soap salesman from Philadelphia, and at the age of thirteen, he was also selling soap. At the age of 30, he moved to Chicago to open a new branch of his father’s company and came up with an idea to provide “premiums” to vendors who purchased a certain amount of soap. These premiums included baking powder, cookbooks, and umbrellas. 14. The baking powder sales surpassed the popularity of the soap, so Wrigley made that his primary product and offered gum as a premium, the very same development from John Curtis. Once again, the premium’s popularity surpassed that of the product, and Wrigley entered the gum industry. Wrigley hired the Zero Gum Company to manufacture gum for him, and it was here that the Wrigley’s industry started. He introduced a series of branded gums in 1983, including Juicy Fruit and Spearmint. In 1898, he founded William Wrigley Jr. Company. 15.