What CHICKLES GUM does

CHIC-KLES GUM, S.L.U. (trading as CHICKLES GUM) is a Spanish private-label manufacturer of sugar-free chewing gum, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Riba-Roja de Turia, Valencia. The company operates a single €60 million state-of-the-art factory employing 250 workers, producing two core product lines — tablet-format gum (grageas) in eight flavors including Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Mint, Smooth Mint, Strawberry, Tutti Frutti, Ginger-Lemon-Propolis, and Fruit Mix XXL, and stick-format gum (láminas) in Watermelon and Spearmint. Formulations leverage xylitol, fluoride, and calcium for dental-health positioning, with natural extracts such as ginger and propolis in specialty variants; products are gluten-free, GMO-free, allergen-free, and contain no azo dyes.

The company's business model is a single-customer private-label manufacturing arrangement with Mercadona, Spain's largest supermarket chain. All output is sold exclusively under the Hacendado brand through Mercadona's physical store network and online store (tienda.mercadona.es) across Spain and Portugal. Pricing is set by Mercadona at the retail level; CHICKLES functions as a contracted manufacturer without direct consumer-facing brand equity. The company holds a full suite of food-safety and quality certifications (IFS, BRC, ISO 14001, Applus HACCP, Halal) and has received public-sector support from ICEX for international strategy, IVACE for a 2024 manufacturing digitalization project, and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce for a 2025 international certification initiative.

CHICKLES GUM operates as a privately-held S.L.U. (single-member limited liability company), is registered with the Mercantile Registry of Valencia under CIF B98129158, and has no disclosed parent company, venture capital backing, public listing, M&A activity, or named management team in the source material. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed. Forward signals point to modest international exploration beyond the Iberian Mercadona relationship.

Name

CHICKLES GUM

Legal name

CHIC-KLES GUM, S.L.U.

Website

https://chic-kles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CHICKLES GUM is a Spanish private-label manufacturer, founded 2009, that produces sugar-free chewing gum exclusively for Mercadona's Hacendado brand in Spain and Portugal from a €60M factory in Valencia employing 250 workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sugar-Free Chewing Gum Manufacturing

NAICS

Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing (311340)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Chewing Gum & Mints (CRADABAC)

Keywords

• Sugar-free chewing gum
• Private label manufacturing
• Confectionery production
• Oral care gum
• Tablet and stick gum

Headquarters

HQ city

Riba-Roja de Turia

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sugar-free chewing gum sales: Manufacturing and selling sugar-free chewing gum products in tablet and stick formats through exclusive retail distribution partnership with Mercadona under the Hacendado brand.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

CHICKLES GUM manufactures sugar-free chewing gum in tablet (Grageas) and stick (Láminas) formats at its dedicated factory in Riba-Roja de Turia, Valencia. The company produces the full range exclusively as private label for Mercadona under the Hacendado brand, distributed through Mercadona stores and online in Spain and Portugal. Formulations include xylitol, fluoride, calcium, and natural extracts such as ginger, lemon, and propolis, marketed for fresh breath, dental health, stress reduction, and concentration.

Product overview

CHICKLES GUM is a Spanish manufacturer of sugar-free chewing gum headquartered in Valencia, operating since 2009. The company produces two core product lines: Tablets (Grageas) in pill-shaped format with 8 flavor variants including Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Mint, Strawberry, Smooth Mint, Original Tutti Frutti, Ginger-Lemon-Propolis, and Fruit Mix XXL; and Sticks (Láminas) in stick format with Watermelon and Spearmint flavors. All products are distributed exclusively under the Hacendado private label through Mercadona stores in Spain and Portugal. The company employs 250 workers and has invested €60 million in its manufacturing facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHICKLES Tablets (Grageas) Sugar-free chewing gum in tablet (pill-shaped) format, available in multiple flavors including Eucalyptus, Spearmint (Hierbabuena), Mint (Menta), Smooth Mint (Menta suave), Strawberry (Fresa), Original Tutti Frutti (Chicle), Ginger-Lemon-Propolis (Jengibre, limón y própolis), and Fruit Mix XXL (Frutal Mix XXL). Sold exclusively under the Hacendado private label at Mercadona in Spain and Portugal.
• CHICKLES Sticks (Láminas) Sugar-free chewing gum in stick (Láminas) format, available in Watermelon (Sandía) and Spearmint (Hierbabuena) flavors. Sold exclusively under the Hacendado brand at Mercadona in Spain and Portugal.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cámara de Comercio de España (Spanish Chamber of Commerce)minorOthers · 1 January 2025The International Certification project has been supported by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in its 'International Certification 2025' call.
• IVACE (Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial)minorOthers · 1 January 2024Project titled 'Integral system for the control of gum and candy manufacturing and packaging processes' has been financed through the SME DIGITIZATION PROJECTS (DIGITALIZA-CV) 2024 program from IVACE with file number IMDIGA/2024/119.
• MercadonacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distribution partnership with Mercadona, Spain's leading supermarket chain. CHICKLES GUM manufactures and supplies sugar-free chewing gum sold exclusively through Mercadona under the Hacendado private label brand in Spain and Portugal.
• ICEX (Spain's Trade and Investment Agency)minorOthersThe international strategy project of CHICKLES GUM has been supported by ICEX in the ICEX DANA call with financing from the European Union through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Simply Gum: US-based natural chewing gum brand using chicle and plant-based ingredients. Direct competitor in the natural/specialty gum segment with overlapping functional ingredient positioning (xylitol, natural flavors).
• Project 7: Sugar-free chewing gum brand with focus on natural ingredients and dental benefits. Direct competitor in the premium sugar-free gum niche targeting health-conscious consumers.

Direct peers

• Perfetti Van Melle: Global confectionery manufacturer producing Mentos mints and chewing gum products. Directly competes in the sugar-free gum/mints category with similar functional positioning and European retail penetration.
• PUR Gum: US-based sugar-free chewing gum brand using xylitol as primary sweetener with aspartame-free formulations. Direct competitor in the sugar-free functional gum niche with comparable dental health claims and similar target consumer.
• Mondelez International: Global confectionery giant that owns the Trident and Dentyne chewing gum brands. Direct competitor in the sugar-free chewing gum category with similar retail distribution channels and product positioning to CHICKLES GUM.
• Mars Wrigley: Global leader in chewing gum manufacturing (Extra, Orbit, 5, Doublemint) and the dominant category incumbent. Directly competes with CHICKLES GUM in the same product category and has overlapping sugar-free gum offerings across multiple geographies.

Broad incumbents

• The Hershey Company: Global confectionery giant that owns the Ice Breakers and Bubble Yum gum/mints brands. Broader portfolio player in confectionery with overlapping gum offerings and similar mass-market retail distribution model.
• Haribo: Global confectionery leader primarily in gummy candies with broad European retail presence. Comparable as a branded confectionery manufacturer with European scale and similar private label / branded manufacturing capabilities.
• Cloetta: Swedish-headquartered confectionery company with strong Northern European distribution and a portfolio that includes pastilles and chewing gum. Comparable as a European mid-sized confectionery manufacturer of similar scale and geographic orientation.
• Lotte Confectionery: Korean confectionery conglomerate producing multiple gum and candy brands with global private label manufacturing capabilities. Comparable as a large-scale private label gum and confectionery manufacturer operating across multiple geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chic-kles-gum

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHICKLES GUM