Bonsai, the natural plastic free chewing gum

Bonsai is a chewing gum made from natural gum extracted from the sapodilla tree using sustainable methods, and flavoured using natural mint and lemon extracts.

The sapodilla is a fruit tree with a naturally chewy sap. For thousands of years, the people living in regions where this tree grows have been taking the sap from this tree and chewing it to clean their teeth and freshen their breath. At Bonsai, we work with locals who have developed sustainable methods of extracting this substance over time. The sap is extracted from the tree by making small slits in the tree bark, from which the sap can be extracted. This extraction method respects the forest since no trees are felled during this process, and the locals know how important it is to leave enough time between extractions for the tree to regenerate. Once it has been heated and kneaded, this natural gum has a texture identical to that of industrial gum.

Once the sapodilla tree gum base has been produced, it is flavoured with natural lemon and mint flavourings (natural spearmint for our "spearmint" gum, and field mint and peppermint for our "strong mint" flavour) and sweetened with xylitol, a sweetener of natural origin made from the bark of the birch tree.

These natural gums are then packed into recyclable FSC certified cardboard packets, and covered - for hygiene reasons - with a biodegradable transparent film made from cellulose extracted from green plants.

Bonsai is entirely biodegradable and non-polluting, allowing you to enjoy your chewing gum without damaging the environment.