Huntington Beach natives’ energy gum gives customers something to chew on
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Attending the University of Arizona as freshmen, Sean Turk and Patrick Keegan, both 2020 graduates of Mater Dei High School, found it challenging to make new friends during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Huntington Beach natives spent plenty of time just working out at the gym, where they would try energy drinks or pre-workout supplements for a boost.
The results were mixed. Turk recalled after trying one scoop supplement, his heart felt like it was beating out his chest for hours following the workout.
“At that point, I was like, OK, I’ve got to stop this stuff,” he said. “I’ve had a history of heart problems in my family, so I couldn’t do that stuff anymore. We actually started looking for ways that we could do it better.”
Those were the beginnings of Instant Energy Gum, which Keegan and Turk launched in March.
Each piece has 100 milligrams of caffeine from green coffee beans, plus electrolytes from pink Himalayan salt for taste, along with a touch of vitamin E.
“The caffeine and the electrolytes are in the center fill,” Keegan said. “Once you bite into it, that center fill is actually able to get absorbed in your mouth faster, because it’s already in the liquid form. So, you feel it quicker than a cup of coffee or energy drink … It’s more of a tame caffeine high, without a spike or crash.”
While still enrolled at the university, they entered an entrepreneurship program through the Eller College of Management. Keegan said they earned some start-up money through a few different sales competitions.
Since returning home to Orange County, the two 24-year-olds have peddled their gum at different running clubs and events, including last weekend’s Cars ‘N Copters in Huntington Beach, and some International Surf Museum events.
The input has so far been positive. Some customers have come up with different flavor ideas beyond their product’s current sour apple offering, and the duo hopes to incorporate other flavors into the lineup in the future.
“They’ve come out a couple times to our runs with their chewing gum,” said Liam Loftus, co-founder of the Huntington Run Club, which launched in February 2024. “They also partnered with us on an event we had, called the Pier to Pier, where we ran from Huntington Pier to Balboa Pier.”
Loftus has taken pieces home and uses them at work from time to time when he’s seeking a little more get-up-and-go.
“It definitely helps get through the day,” he said.
The gum has just eight other ingredients, all simple, which Keegan believes is important.
“We kind of just wanted to make something that was more raw, had the basic stuff and could get you to where you need to be without having all of the extra additives in it,” he said. “We wanted to make a cleaner product.”
Local convenience stores have begun putting a jar of the gum near the register, Keegan said, with individual pieces going for a dollar or slightly more. Instant Energy Gum also became available in 15-piece bags on Amazon a couple of months ago, and orders are coming in from all over the country now.
Turk, who also works in accounting, has introduced the product to people in his office. Now, he notices they will less often walk down to the gas station for an energy drink.
“Before I run, or if I’m just at a desk, it’s nice to chew bubble gum and just lock in that way,” he said. “It kind of keeps the blood flowing to the brain, too.”
