A: Two of Wrigley's now classic brands, Doublemint and Yellow Juicy (Fruit), grabbed the world's attention at the Chicago Expo in 1893 courtesy of a young salesman named William Wrigley Jr.
Wrigley traveled from Philadelphia to Chicago in the spring of 1891. He was 29 years old, had $32 in his pocket and possessed endless enthusiasm.
His started his career trying to sell Wrigley's Scouring Soap, which was produced in his father's factory. Wrigley offered free gifts to merchants to increase sales, knowing that such freebies would induce his customers to promote Wrigley's soap. One of these freebies was baking powder. When baking powder proved to be more popular than soap, Wrigley switched over to the baking powder business.
One day in 1892 Wrigley got the idea of offering two packages of chewing gum with each can of baking powder. The decision proved fateful, with the gum eventually overtaking the baking powder in popularity. Wrigley responded by reorienting the company to manufacture chewing gum.
Wrigley took his products to the Chicago Expo and soon people around the world had his gum in the palm of their hand. The company currently sells its products in over 180 countries and operates more than 10 factories.
