Who Owns TIC Gums?

TIC Gums was founded in 1970 as an independent specialty ingredient company focused on developing and commercializing hydrocolloid gum systems for food and beverage applications. The company's name reflects its founding focus on the technical and industrial applications of gums, which are a class of hydrocolloid ingredients derived from natural sources including plants, seeds, and microbial fermentation.

Hydrocolloids are ingredients that form gels or viscous solutions when dispersed in water, making them valuable for controlling texture, stability, and mouthfeel in food and beverage products. TIC Gums developed expertise in formulating blends of different gum types to achieve specific functional properties for customer applications, a technically demanding capability that requires deep knowledge of how different hydrocolloids interact with each other and with other food ingredients.

The company's White Plains, Maryland location placed it in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, with proximity to food manufacturers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets. TIC Gums built its business serving food and beverage companies seeking customized stabilizing and texturizing solutions, with a particular focus on smaller and mid-sized innovative companies that required more technical support and customization than large commodity ingredient suppliers could provide.

Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, TIC Gums expanded its product portfolio and technical capabilities, developing proprietary gum blend formulations for applications including dairy products, beverages, sauces, dressings, baked goods, and other food categories. The company's technical service capability, which helped customers select and optimize gum systems for their specific applications, became a key competitive differentiator.

By the mid-2010s, TIC Gums had established itself as a leading specialty hydrocolloid supplier with revenues that made it an attractive acquisition target for larger ingredient companies seeking to expand their specialty portfolios. The company's customer base among innovative small and mid-sized food companies was particularly valuable, as this segment was growing rapidly due to the proliferation of specialty food brands and the clean-label trend.

In December 2016, Ingredion Incorporated acquired TIC Gums for approximately $400 million in cash. The acquisition price reflected TIC Gums' strong market position in specialty hydrocolloids and the strategic value of its customer relationships among innovative food companies. Ingredion's rationale for the acquisition was to add TIC Gums' hydrocolloid expertise and customer base to its existing specialty ingredients portfolio, complementing its starch, sweetener, and other functional ingredient products.

Following the acquisition, TIC Gums continued to operate from its White Plains, Maryland base under its established brand identity. The TIC Gums brand carries strong recognition in the specialty food ingredient market, and Ingredion has maintained it as a distinct brand within its portfolio.