An Italian treat, Brooklyn Gum bridges cultures

NEW YORK — It took more than 50 years, but Brooklyn Gum is finally making its way home.

The Brooklyn-inspired chewing gum, an obsession in Italy since the early 1950s, is quietly becoming a cult favorite in its namesake borough. The slim signature packs bearing the iconic Brooklyn Bridge logo have recently begun popping up at Italian delis, restaurants and other specialty stores across the borough.

"Every time I put it out on the counter, it disappears," said Domenick Trunzo of Trunzo Bros. in Bensonhurst, which began stocking the gum last year.

"In Italy, everybody knows Brooklyn Gum; it's all over," he added. "I was excited just to see the gum is out here now."

Angelo Ronconi, who runs an Italian importing company in Brooklyn, said he started to bring in small shipments of the gum a couple of years ago after an Italian customer in Brooklyn requested it.

Now, he said, the gum is getting so popular it is expanding beyond small Italian delis to upscale specialty shops whose customers are drawn to the Brooklyn logo.

"I'm selling more and more," said Ronconi, who grew up in Rome and came to Brooklyn 20 years ago. "I remember when I was a kid chewing that gum."

Brooklyn gum was created by the Italian candy company Perfetti after World War II when American GIs introduced locals to American chewing gum.

The name and Brooklyn Bridge logo were meant to give the gum an American image, said Anna Re, a Perfetti spokeswoman.

"The Brooklyn Bridge was a true symbol of America," Re said. "The idea was very effective, because everyone still thinks that Brooklyn [gum] is an American product."

The gum, which comes in eight flavors — including five just-released sugar-free versions — is made in Milan and distributed only in Italy, Re said, adding that there are no plans to expand distribution to North America.

"It is a very, very domestic product," Re said.