Judges feel the vibe at The Pitch South West

David Webb and David Wright, co-founders, Vibe Gum

The creators of a unique energy boosting chewing gum have scooped the top prize at the South West regional heat of BusinessZone.co.uk’s search for Britain’s best new businesses.

David Webb and David Wright, co-founders of Super Mouth, the producer of Vibe Gum, were rewarded the prestigious title by a panel of successful business owners at the Bristol heat of The Pitch 2009.

The two entrepreneurs were among eight pitching on Tuesday afternoon for the chance to win business support prizes worth £50,000 at a national final in London in November. The package includes one-on-one mentoring from former Dragons’ Den judge Doug Richard.

With the likes of Red Bull generating sales of £500m a year, the caffeine based energy drinks industry is well established in the UK but Webb and Wright have spotted a gap in the ‘functional gum’ market.

Due to officially launch later this year, Vibe Gum, which gives chewers a quick burst of energy and ensures rapid absorption of caffeine up to four times faster than an energy drink or a cup of coffee, forecasts annual sales of £2.3m by year three and net profits exceeding £1m by year five.

Creating a new brand for the ‘ipod generation’, the five business experts judging the contestants taking part in the event predicted Vibe Gum would go far.

Commenting on his victory, Webb said: “As a young company, the chance to win £50,000 worth of essential business support and the mentorship of Doug Richard is something that could really propel the business forward at this key stage.

“We’re extremely excited about the final, where we’ll be judged by Doug himself, as well as Tim Campbell, the winner of ‘The Apprentice’ season one and Deirdre Bounds from Channel 4’s ‘Millionaires’ Mission’.

“The standard at the South West heat was extremely high, but thankfully, the judges saw our product’s potential."

The judges who took part in The Pitch South West were Pat Wood, co-founder, Truffle Shuffle; Lois Cook, co-founder, Angels Den; Emma Summers, founder, Juice Recruitment, Chris Wintle, marketing director, Ecotricity and Steven Priscott, finance director, Sift.

The other contestants who took part in The Pitch South West were Julia Lowe, founder, Farm Toys Online; Carolyn Newton, founder, Whalebags; Matthew Chiles, founder, The Bath Pig Company; Norman Shaw, founder, ExactTrak and Stuart Hibbert and Myles Hantler, co-founders, icomplete.

Applications for the Glasgow, Birmingham and London heats of The Pitch 2009 are still open. To take part, visit www.thepitch2009.com.