I met with Allen in Arizona to learn about his company.

 

Health E-Insights: I know we’re not talking about chewing gum. What is Gum Technology?



 

Mr. Freed: We get calls all the time asking us for bubble gum but the company moniker of Gum Technology sounded better to me than Hydrocolloid and Carbohydrate Technology. Our gums are hydrocolloids (chewing gum is a resin) and by definition, water-soluble. If chewing gum were water-soluble, it would not last very long after it went in your mouth. As the name implies, Gum Technology is about technology—we specialize in the interaction and synergism between the many types of gums that we offer such as xanthan, locust bean gum, konjac gum, gum tragacanth, pectin, alginates and many, many others. These gums all have individual and unique properties, yet they play well with one another and with other ingredients such as starches and proteins. Gums are primarily used to add texture and body to foods and related products such as nutraceuticals. They also add stability and extend shelf life. They can be used to create an emulsion, or to help in control the rate of disintegration in a compressed tablet. Since gums are high in fiber, they have many health-related functional uses as well, such as reducing cholesterol and triglycerides and helping to control hyperglycemia. They are also widely used in creating gluten-free and vegetarian products where they replace the functionality of the proteins. We help tweak out the best attributes of each gum, combine it so that it creates a synergism with another gum or functional ingredient, and then work it to be cost competitive. It's a lot of work but our 30 years of experience and fantastic lab staff helps greatly.

 

Health E-Insights: Do you have a story about the coyote that’s part of your company logo?



 

Mr. Freed: I'm a New York City boy and that's where Gum Technology started. When we moved to the desert, I was entranced by the sounds of the coyotes at night; I found the howls soothing and natural, and quite a difference from the horns and sirens of NYC. After some research on the coyotes, I found that they were extremely adaptive, creative and resilient. I thought that profile fit in with some of the attributes that make Gum Technology special. I do have to admit that after 16 years in Tucson, I find them a bit more annoying at night than I did when I moved here, but they do make a distinctive and memorable logo for us. And we tell those people who don't like coyotes that they're wolves.



 

Health E-Insights: I think your company recently won an award?
Can you tell me about that?

 

Mr. Freed: We actually have won several and we are very proud of them. All were based on votes from the readers of trade publications so they are meaningful in that they were not gifted to us; they were earned by us. We have a great reputation in the industry and based on the awards you can tell that the reputation was developed by our commitment to impeccable service. We have great products and great technology but, in the end, it is about service and servicing. We have a wonderful staff and they all truly believe in the adage that the customer comes first and that there is no second. It's all about the customer.

 

Health E-Insights: Did you ever have to overcome any major obstacles?



 

Mr. Freed: Who hasn't? As a great friend, mentor and client said to me, "No one gets a free ride." I had my first business partner die of brain cancer at age 45. That was a life-changing experience for me in many ways, both personally and professionally. We had a comptroller mismanage our finances, which left us in such a bad position it that took over two years to recover. My background is science. I had to learn finance very quickly in order to overcome the situation that we found ourselves in. We have had supply shortages for more than six months after one of our facilities in China was disrupted by the earthquakes in Chengdu, and we often see product detentions by customs for critical deliveries. We had a new building held up by the town council for over two years. We face obstacles every day but if we didn't, we wouldn't feel the great satisfaction of our survival and successes. I am also truly blessed in that I don't have to face these situations alone. A great wife and a fantastic partner help make it all manageable.



 

Health E-Insights: When you’re in your favorite city (country) what food do you like to eat?



 

Mr. Freed: You obviously know my obsession with food. The answer to that is simple. I eat local. As local as possible. There is just about nothing I will not eat, and little that I don't enjoy. As one of my managers in China said after 2 years of taking me to every outback, hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the middle of China, “You speak Mandarin poorly, but you eat fluently." It's easy to go to Zagat or Michelin and get a 4 star recommendation but nothing beats eating something unrecognizable off of a street cart in a residential neighborhood. I am partial to Asian foods but I could live very happily in Italy, France, Spain, India or Brazil and I would not starve.

 

For more information and interview consideration, contact Sheldon Baker at sbaker@bakerdillon.com or visit his website at www.bakerdillon.com.