Xylitol was first made from Finnish birch trees in the early 1900s. It’s got a bit of a weird sounding name but ‘xyl’ is just Greek for wood (think xylophone).
It’s naturally produced by most living things including trees, fruits, plants, animals and even people. It’s great for making chewing gum as not only does it taste nice and sweet but very importantly it’s also good for your teeth. That’s why we chose it over cane sugar. If you’re interested, we’ve got a section about dental health here but basically it breaks down the bacteria in your mouth that cause tooth decay. In Finland some schools even distribute free xylitol gum and sweets to kids to keep their teeth healthy.
We’ve worked closely with the British Dental Health Foundation and after testing our gum they have certified that it’s good for your teeth and helps prevent cavities. Our first gold star. And on top of all this good news for your teeth, xylitol has 40% fewer calories than sugar, 75% less carbohydrates and has a low GI (of 7).
In some parts of the world it’s made from corn cobs but we prefer to get ours from trees. This way we can be sure there are no GMOs in our ingredients and that it’s 100% sustainably sourced. We source ours from birch and beech trees from sustainably managed European forests.
