Why Is Mastic Gum So Expensive? 6 Real Reasons

By Gum of Gods Team, Updated Oct 2026

Short answer: Real mastic is expensive because mastiha is produced only in southern Chios, each tree gives about 150 to 180 grams of resin a year, and every step from carving the bark to sorting the tears is done by hand. We buy ours from the Chios Mastic Growers Association. Counted per minute of chewing, the gap with regular gum is much smaller than it looks.

At a glance

Why does mastic gum cost more than regular gum?

Because it is not the same kind of product. Regular gum is a factory product: a synthetic gum base plus sweeteners and flavors, made in huge batches. Chios mastiha is a tree resin produced only in southern Chios, collected by hand, one small cut at a time.

Below are the six biggest cost drivers, using facts from the Chios Mastiha Growers Association, the cooperative that manages mastic production on Chios. Here is where the money actually goes, step by step, from the tree to your tin.

1. Why is it produced on only one island?

Mastic trees (lentisks) grow all over the Mediterranean, but according to the Growers Association, mastiha is only produced in the southern part of Chios, in the so-called mastiha villages, where the climate is especially warm and dry.

That means supply cannot simply scale up. There is no second region to plant when demand grows. For background on the resin, read what is mastic gum.

2. How much resin does one tree make?

Very little. The Growers Association puts the average annual yield at 150 to 180 grams of mastiha per tree. A tree cannot produce mastiha before its fifth or sixth year, reaches its best yield after about 15 years, and declines after 70.

Yields also swing with the weather. The tree is sensitive to cold and frost, and a hard winter or a bad summer means less resin for everyone that year. When supply drops, prices across the whole market rise.

Put that next to our tins: each Gum of Gods Classic Pack holds 25 grams, about a 30 day supply. A whole tree's yearly output covers only around six tins.

3. Why is the harvest so slow?

Mastic farming is a family affair that takes work all year, the Growers Association says:

• December: fertilizing the trees.
• January to February: pruning to let air and light reach the trunk.
• Mid June to July: clearing and leveling the ground around each trunk with white soil, so fallen drops can be gathered clean.
• July to September: the kentos, carving small cuts in the bark with a hand tool. The resin weeps out and solidifies in about 15 to 20 days.
• From mid August: gathering, first the large pieces by hand, then the rest with brooms or by hand.

Then the resin is stored in wooden boxes in cool places and cleaned before delivery to the cooperative. None of that can be rushed with a machine.

4. Why does cleaning and sorting add cost?

Raw resin comes off the ground mixed with soil and plant matter. It has to be cleaned and sorted by size into grades. The cooperative trades mastiha by size, from large pieces to small chunks.

The big, clear-white tears that chew best are a fraction of the harvest. Smaller, darker and dusty pieces are cheaper and chew worse. That is the gap you see between bargain mastic and premium tins.

5. Why does origin matter for price?

Mastiha is produced only in southern Chios. Real Chios mastic cannot be grown cheaply somewhere else, so supply is set by one small area and one harvest a year.

We buy ours from the Chios Mastic Growers Association, the cooperative that manages mastic production on the island. That is why named Chios origin is the first thing to check on any label.

6. Why do grade, freshness and shipping matter?

Resin ages. Old mastic turns yellow, stale and powdery. It also softens or melts in heat, so how it travels matters.

When our founder started Gum of Gods in 2021, the problem he kept hitting was exactly this: Amazon mastic that arrived yellow and stale, and orders from Greece that took weeks, cost a lot and sometimes arrived melted. That is why we source from the Chios Mastic Growers Association and ship from the US. Read the full story in is Gum of Gods legit.

Why do mastic prices vary so much between brands?

Every real Chios mastic brand buys from the same small island, so the price gap usually comes down to four things:

1. Grade. Large, clear tears cost more than small chunks and dust.
2. Age. Fresh harvest costs more than resin that sat in a warehouse for years.
3. Packaging. A sealed metal tin protects resin from heat and crushing better than a thin bag.
4. Service. Domestic shipping and a real support team cost money to run.

When a bag of "mastic" costs far less than everyone else, one of those four is usually missing. Sometimes the origin is too.

What do you get for the price at Gum of Gods?

• Large, clear-white Chios mastic tears, sourced from the Chios Mastic Growers Association.
• One ingredient in the Classic Pack: mastic resin. No gum base, no sugar.
• A 25 gram tin, about a 30 day supply, shipped from the US so it does not sit in transit for weeks.
• A subscription you can pause or cancel any time, and a real team at support@gumofgods.us.

Is mastic gum worth the price?

Compare cost per minute of chewing, not cost per pack. A stick of regular gum goes soft in minutes. One or two mastic tears hold a firm chew for 20 to 40 minutes, and mastic can be chewed more than once if you store it in a reusable gum tin.

Then compare what you are chewing. Regular gum base contains plastics, and a 2025 pilot study presented at the American Chemical Society found chewing gum can release microplastics. The study also found natural and synthetic gums released similar amounts. Gum of Gods was not part of this study. Mastic is a single tree resin with no gum base. See our best gum without a plastic gum base roundup and microplastic guide.

And compare what it is used for. People chew mastic to work their face muscles, as the day half of a sleep and breathing stack, and for the traditional uses studied in our Chios mastic gum benefits hub.

How do you spot cheap fake mastic?

• No origin, or a vague "Mediterranean" instead of Chios.
• An ingredient list that includes "gum base".
• Tiny, dark yellow pieces, or dust at the bottom of the bag.
• No way to reach a real person.

Our real vs fake mastic guide and mastic buyer's guide go deeper, with brand comparisons.

How do you get the best value from mastic?

• Subscribe. Our subscriptions renew every 30 days and you can pause or cancel any time in the customer portal, so you don't have to reorder.
• Stock up. The 3-Gum Bundle and other bundles cover more months per order.
• Store it right. Keep tins out of hot cars and sunlight.
• Reuse tears. Mastic can be chewed again; keep a tin for half chewed pieces.
• Start small. Not sure about the pine taste? The Sample Pack is the cheapest way in, and our flavor guide helps you choose between Classic, Peppermint and Premium.

Want the history of the island and the harvest? The Art of Mastiha tells it in full.

FAQ

Why is mastic gum so expensive?

It is produced only in southern Chios, each tree yields about 150 to 180 grams a year, and harvesting, cleaning and sorting are done by hand, so real Chios mastic cannot be made cheaply elsewhere.

Is cheap mastic gum fake?

Not always, but very cheap mastic is often low grade, stale or not from Chios. Look for named Chios origin, a one ingredient label and large, pale tears.

How long does a tin of mastic last?

A Gum of Gods Classic Pack tin holds 25 grams, about a 30 day supply.

Can you reuse mastic gum?

Yes. Mastic can be chewed more than once. Store chewed pieces in a clean tin.

Is mastic gum worth it compared to regular gum?

Compare minutes of chew and ingredients. Mastic holds a firm chew for 20 to 40 minutes and is a single tree resin, while regular gum base contains plastics.

Where does Gum of Gods mastic come from?

From Chios, Greece. We source from the Chios Mastic Growers Association and ship from the US.

Your next steps

1. Try the real thing with The Classic Pack.
2. Get more months per order with the 3-Gum Bundle.
3. Start small with the Sample Pack.
4. Browse all mastic gum.

Keep reading

• Chios mastic gum benefits: the research hub
• Best mastic gum: how to choose
• Best gum without a plastic gum base
• Is Gum of Gods legit?

References

1. Chios Mastiha Growers Association, The Mastiha Tree: average annual yield 150 to 180 g per tree; produced only in southern Chios. https://www.gummastic.gr/en/chiosmastiha/mastihatree
2. Chios Mastiha Growers Association, Cultivation: year round family work, kentos carving July to September, solidifies in 15 to 20 days. https://www.gummastic.gr/en/chiosmastiha/production
3. European Medicines Agency, herbal monograph: Mastic (Pistacia lentiscus L., resin). https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/mastic
4. Gum of Gods, The Classic Pack product page: "25 grams, about a 30-day supply" (accessed Oct 16, 2026). https://gumofgods.us/products/the-classic-pack-include-free
5. Gum of Gods, About Us: founded by Harris Hardy (2021 to present), sourced from the Chios Mastic Growers Association, US based fulfillment. https://gumofgods.us/pages/about-us
6. Gum of Gods, Terms of Service: subscriptions renew every 30 days; pause or cancel any time in the customer portal. https://gumofgods.us/policies/terms-of-service
7. Gum of Gods, Contact: support@gumofgods.us, (610) 549-4668. https://gumofgods.us/pages/contact
8. Gum of Gods, Refund Policy. https://gumofgods.us/policies/refund-policy
9. US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 172.615, "Chewing gum base." https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/172.615
10. American Chemical Society. Chewing gum can shed microplastics into saliva, pilot study finds. March 25, 2025. https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2025/march/chewing-gum-can-shed-microplastics-into-saliva-pilot-study-finds.html