Stick Chewing Gum & Bubble Gum

Stick Bubble Gum Production Line Request From Ethiopia 

Category Insight: The Persistent Growth Password for Stick Bubble Gum

As a classic candy category, stick bubble gum/chewing gum has always occupied an important share of the global gum base candy market with mature production processes and a wide consumer base. In recent years, top brands have continuously activated the vitality of their product categories through IP co branding, taste innovation, and scene based packaging. For example, they have collaborated with popular anime IPs to create cartoon image packaging, paired with blind box collection stickers, AR interactive cards, and other additional elements to accurately meet consumers' personalized needs. This has achieved an organic combination of "classic product categories+trendy gameplay", and the market size has steadily grown.

Demand docking: new opportunities in the Ethiopian market

At the 2025 Dubai International Food Processing Machinery Exhibition, Mr. Docanla, an Ethiopian candy manufacturer, contacted Ms. Huang, the sales manager of Zhonghong Machinery Equipment Factory. As a well-known enterprise in the local spherical bubble gum market, Mr. Docanla keenly captures the market potential of stick bubble gum - this category has reached a market share of 25% in Ethiopia, and the demand of young consumer groups continues to grow. He made a clear request to Manager Huang: he hopes to introduce a customizable sheet shaped bubble gum production line to quickly enter this market.

Manager Huang, combined with the technical accumulation of Zhonghong Machinery, provided a clear solution for the customer: "The core process of the flake bubble gum production line is' extrusion-compression-cooling-screening '. We can customize the equipment parameters according to your product specifications. At the same time, based on the consumption characteristics of the Ethiopian market, we suggest matching automatic sticker packaging modules to enhance product added value and enhance terminal attractiveness through fun collection elements." The two parties reached a preliminary cooperation intention on the spot, and the customer subsequently provided samples and detailed specification requirements of the target product.

Customized R&D: Accurately matching customer needs

After receiving the samples, the technical team of Zhonghong Machinery immediately carried out parameter analysis and equipment design:

• Process parameter locking: Accurately measure the thickness (0.15mm), size (70mm × 18mm), and weight (2.3g/piece) of the sample using a high-precision measuring instrument to determine the roll gap pressure of the tablet press, as well as the wind speed and temperature parameters of the cooling conveyor belt
• Equipment configuration optimization: To adapt to the power environment in Ethiopia, the production line motors will be upgraded to a wide voltage adaptation type (220V/380V compatible), and dust-proof sealing design will be added to ensure stable operation of the equipment in tropical climates
• Automation upgrade: Introduce servo drive system in the slitting process to achieve cutting accuracy of ± 0.2mm and control the defect rate below 5%; The sticker packaging module supports quick switching of more than 10 sticker styles to meet customers' subsequent product iteration needs

Project implementation: from equipment delivery to successful mass production

After 15 days of business negotiations and technical confirmation, both parties have officially signed a cooperation agreement. After the equipment production was completed, Mr. Docanla made a special trip to Zhonghong Machinery Foshan factory for pre acceptance: through on-site trial production, the equipment ran continuously for 8 hours without any faults, and the size accuracy and taste restoration of the produced products met customer requirements.

After the equipment was shipped, Zhonghong Machinery immediately dispatched one senior engineer to Ethiopia for a 10 day on-site installation, commissioning, and technical training:

Complete the overall layout and electrical connections of the production line, and debug the optimal production parameters (production capacity of 300kg/hour)

Provide theoretical and practical training for 5 operation and maintenance personnel of the customer, covering equipment operation, daily maintenance, troubleshooting, and other related topics

Establish a remote technical support channel and promise to respond to customer technical inquiries 24 hours a day

In the end, the production line was successfully put into operation, and the produced stick shaped bubble gum quickly entered major supermarkets and convenience stores in Ethiopia. With stable quality and fun packaging, market feedback exceeded customer expectations.