Note: First of all, this isn’t technically a bubblegum, it’s a chewing gum, but we figured “what the heck!; we’ll review some non bubblegums too.” With a flavor like rainbow ice, we had to give it a try. By the way, this gum also fits into the sugar free and “natural” gum categories. 👍
Background
Project 7 is a specialty candy brand based in San Clemente, California in SoCal, started by a dude named Tyler Merrick. The company has been around since 2008 and made* some very unique and enjoyable gum flavors, including this rainbow ice one we tried. Tyler’s story is pretty interesting. If you want to hear how he went from inventing unique dog foods to gum, check out the Forbes interview with him.
*Yes, that’s past tense. Project 7 is no more. The company was rebranded to Joyride Sweets in 2022 and relaunched as a partner with YouTuber Ryan Trahan. As far as we can tell, the gum is no longer a product category sold by Joyride, but you can still find Project 7 gum in some places, like Amazon.
Why "Project 7?"
Before we go any further, we should talk about why the company is called “Project 7.” 7 flavors? 7 founders? Nah…it’s a do-good company with an awesome mission to provide basic humanitarian aid for 7 important causes. The company donates a portion of its profits to support various humanitarian causes. Historically, Project 7 has given between 30-50% of its profits to these causes, although they mandate a minimum of 10% annually. Pretty cool, isn’t it! Here are the 7 causes:
- Deforestation: Efforts to combat deforestation and promote reforestation.
- Hunger: Initiatives to address food insecurity and provide meals to those in need.
- Education: Programs aimed at improving access to education and educational resources.
- Emergency Shelter: Providing shelter and housing solutions for those affected by disasters or homelessness.
- Clean Drinking Water: Ensuring access to safe and clean drinking water.
- Anti-Bullying Programs: Initiatives to prevent bullying and support victims.
- Malaria Treatment: Efforts to combat malaria through prevention and treatment programs.
In the company’s history, they’ve made a big impact. Check it out! 👇
Award Winning Gum!
Project 7 is known for their “Willy Wonka” mentality to flavors, such as Birthday Cake, Cherry Lime Slush, Cotton Candy, and Fairytale Fruit. Additionally, Project 7 offers an Organic Gummy Bear line and Organic Chewies, which feature a chewy center with a crunchy outer shell.
The company’s Coconut Lime flavored gum won Most Innovative Gum Award in 2014 from the Snacks and Sweets Expo. Congrats to Project 7! Now let’s see what the Bubble Bunch reviewers think…
Our Review
The serving size is 2 pieces, or 2.8g, so that’s what we went with for our review.
Taste - 4.5 out of 5.0
Wow. Those first few bites release an explosion of nostalgia, tasting exactly like a summer snow cone where you squirted the cone with just about every syrup from the truck. We really enjoyed it and I don’t think you’ll find anything like it from any other gum.
Flavor Duration - 3.0 out of 5.0
There was a lot of variability with this one among the group, with a net score of 3.0 (average duration). As we discussed it, the perception of flavor loss is very pronounced with this gum because the initial punch of flavor is so strong. So, after a few minutes, you will definitely notice the flavor is significantly diminished relative to the opening bites, yet the flavor is still there.
Texture - 4.0 out of 5.0
We thought it was a little on the hard side, which can be the case with natural gums, but nothing too bad.
Bubble Blowing Ability - n/a
This is a chewing gum, so we won’t judge it on bubble size. That wouldn’t make any sense.
Conclusion
We really enjoyed the unique flavor of this snow cone gum, plus we felt like we were saving the world one bite at a time, knowing that at least 10% of profits are going to great humanitarian causes. We’ll be buying some of the other unique Project 7 flavors soon–especially the churro flavor–if we can still get our hands on them!