U.S. chewing gum giant Wm Wrigley Jr Co. is one U.S. company successfully tapping into the gigantic consumer market in China.

Wrigley has been in China since 1989, when it built a chewing gum factory there. Since then it has expanded its presence so now it is able to produce everything it needs to manufacture its chewing gum locally in China. Today, Wrigley is the dominant brand in China, with 60% of the national market share and wiping out domestic rivals as it continues to expand.

The Guangdong Fanyu Candy Co, the once-prosperous maker of Yiqing chewing gum and Dada bubble gum, folded its operations in 2002. Why? Because the company could not compete with the famous gum that comes in the little green package.

Since 1999, China has been Wrigley’s second largest market after the United States. The Chinese chewing gum market is said to be $250 million a year, and is expected to grow to more than $800 million by 2008.

Wm Wrigley Jr Co was founded in 1891, originally to sell soap and baking powder. In 1892, company founder William Wrigley Jr began offering chewing gum with each can of baking powder. The gum eventually became more popular, and the company reoriented itself to make and sell gum. It is still a family-run business based in Chicago.