we’re Janelle and Nick Spisak, co-founders of YAWANA.
family is at the heart of our lives. the ordinary moments together mean the most to us, and we're bringing that same care to the brand we're building. we're glad you're here.
from Nick’s perspective
i'm a family man, and most of what i work on is aimed at more time for the ordinary parts of family life.
i learned commerce by doing it. i resold products, sold through Amazon, and worked with established brands. that work taught me what goes into a product page, a package and the decisions behind them.
i was always on the partner side, though. i wanted to understand what owning a brand asks of you, so i could be a better partner to the brands i work with. the way to learn that was to build one.
YAWANA is my first private-label brand. before anything went on sale, i worked through each part of it: who it's for, what the brand sounds like, where the gum comes from, what goes on the pouch, and how we talk about it.
many of the hard choices were about what to say plainly and what to leave unclaimed. a brand owner answers for every line on the package, so we only print what we can back up.
our first product is YAWANA SMILE, a sugar free chewing gum in extra fresh peppermint. it's made in the USA with globally sourced ingredients.
the manufacturer sent us the formula, ingredient by ingredient. the base is a proprietary blend of chicle, mastic, spruce, myrrh, and arabic. it's sweetened with xylitol and made with hydroxyapatite, the mineral found in tooth enamel. the pouch lists all 12 ingredients in order of weight.
a few things didn't make it onto the printed pouch: how to chew it, the xylitol notes for dog owners, and where it's made. rather than reprint the pouch, we put them on this site, so you can read them before you order.
when you pick up something new, you probably turn it over and read the back before you decide whether to trust it.
a pouch of gum is a small thing. it's also something you might reach for after meals, up to three times a day. something that close to your day should have a back label you can read in full and understand.
so every ingredient is printed in full. where the label says flavor, we tell you what the manufacturer lists. where we don't know something yet, we say so.
a small habit for after meals. a pouch in the bag, for the adult carrying it.
at YAWANA, we think something as simple as chewing gum should be made with ingredients you can read. so we make gum with a proprietary blend of chicle, mastic, spruce, myrrh, and arabic, sweetened with xylitol instead of artificial sweeteners, and without the synthetic plastics found in conventional gum base.
our mission is to bring chewing gum back to its roots: refreshing flavor, a satisfying chew, and every ingredient printed in full. a small daily ritual for a life that values quality over compromise.
made in the USA with globally sourced ingredients.
not a substitute for brushing, flossing and dental visits.
YAWANA SMILE is made for adults. read what it is and what it isn't, then decide whether it fits your day.
Janelle and Nick Spisak, co-founders