Meet Sir George Owino also known as Big George aka Big G. He is the brain behind the concept of the chewing gum that has become super famous in the East African region.
Born in 1941, Owino rose from a humble background as the only child of Patrick Owidh and Maria Obiero.
He studied from Sega Primary School and later joined Shimo la Tewa Intermediate School for his education levels.
He served as Wringley’s Chairman until his retirement in 1998 and passed away in July 2004.
He was the first employee at Wrigley East Africa when it started its operations in Kenya in 1971.
It’s now three decades when Big G is one of biggest chewing gum brands loved by the old, young and household name.
Its distinct larger size (as compared to other pellets in the market), red cover branding, and yellow wording made the product conspicuously stand out from the fold.
Very few people, however, can put a face to the founding of the chewing gum named after the late Sir George Owino.
Owino’s journey to the top began in 1971 when he broke history by becoming the first-ever Kenyan employee at the then newly launched Wrigley Company in the country.
The company is the force behind some of the beloved chewing gums such as Juicy Fruit, Double Mint and Orbit.
At his new workstation, he was hired as a marketer but according to reports, he was not entirely impressed by the pellets that formed a huge chunk of the chewing gum market.
Owino wanted a slightly bigger gum and so the Big G was born. At the time, it was the first gum to be manufactured in such a size in the world, differentiating itself in the market.
When the product hit the shelves, an intense marketing strategy to popularize it countrywide was launched and by 1983, it was already competing with the market leaders.
With the success, Sir George got different promotions before expanding its operations to several countries on the continent.
He later became the chairman of Wrigley’s in East Africa and served as Chairman to his retirement in 1998 before passing away in July 2004.
