Chios, home to seafarers and birthplace of Homer, guards one of God’s greatest treasures.

Mastic gum was first recommended for medicinal use by Hippocrates in 400 BC.

Since then, the healing resin has attracted the attention of pirates, empires, and smugglers alike. Persian rulers, Genoese traders, Venetian nobles, and Ottoman sultans have all fought for control over Chios and its mastic tree groves.

Part of what makes mastic gum so rare and desirable is that the trees refuse to shed their resin, poetically referred to as “the tears of Chios,” anywhere outside the island’s southern region.

Even though attempts have been made to produce mastic gum outside Chios, they have all failed.

Because nowhere else in the world is the microclimate so perfectly set up for mastic cultivation.

Wooded mountains in the northern part of the island weaken the mediterranean wind and create a dry climate in the south.

Ancient underwater volcanic activity has transformed the soil, providing the trees what they need to make their resin.

In 2021, Greco Gum introduced the world to mastic gum. The rest, as they say, is history.

We are a small business, run by three friends who are passionate about mastic gum, with the support of hundreds of Chian families who are involved in the island’s mastic production.

Mastic gum is, in our estimation, the world’s coolest product. Its storied past, its healing properties, and the way it refuses to grow anywhere except one tiny island. There is nothing like it.

But until recently, almost no one outside Greece knew what mastic gum was—or how special it is.

We set out to change that. In 2021, Greco Gum brought mastic gum to America. We started with the raw resin, and today our selection includes a range of mastic gum products.

What started as an interest in mastic gum grew into love for the island that birthed it.

Our commitment doesn’t stop at offering the finest-quality mastic gum products in the world.

We want to celebrate the people, culture, and history that have shaped—and been shaped by—the mastic trees for thousands of years.

In 2024, we moved our headquarters to Chios. With one foot in America and one in Greece, we hope to bring you a piece of the Old World with every product you buy.