Mastic-flavored gum Mastika continues to draw interest in MENA market

Partnerships with Souq.com, Saudi Arabian Football Federation in the works.

Mastika, The Mastika Gum Co's award-winning mastic-flavored chewing gum, continues to capture attention in Middle Eastern markets.

Nael Shaar, managing partner and marketing strategist for the Lebanese manufacturer, said the company has started the process to have Mastika appear on Souq.com, Amazon’s online retail division serving three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The site also serves Egypt.

Shaar noted listing the product — sold in luxurious gold-and-white tins — would increase exposure to the brand and company.

Furthermore, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has shown interest in offering Mastika to VIPs, particularly the Saudi Arabian royal family. Master Gum and the SAFF are discussing the terms of a partnership.

“To be frank, I was surprised and happy,” Shaar said of learning of the SAFF’s interest. “I knew that it would be a hit in the GCC, especially in Saudi Arabia.”

Mastic, an aromatic tree resin native to the Mediterranean, gives Mastika a pleasing floral flavor, with notes of citrus and pine. The sugar-free gum is sweetened with sorbitol, maltitol and xylitol, rather than aspartame. These features earned it the Innovation Award for Best Hard and Soft Candy at the 2016 Yummex Middle East show, staged annually in Dubai.

Alyse Thompson has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products Magazine since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.