Doron Delouya explains how TopGum advances functional gummies through sophisticated formulations, manufacturing innovation and consumer enjoyment.
Doron Delouya is the Deputy CEO and GM Israel & Rest of World at TopGum. Over approximately six years, he has led Product Development, R&D and the commercial organisation as Chief Commercial Officer. This gave him a broad perspective, from consumer needs and technology to commercialisation, manufacturing and global scale-up. Today, alongside his Deputy CEO responsibilities, Doron leadsTopGum’s Israel and Rest of World business. TopGum is a CDMO creating enjoyable delivery systems for dietary supplements and healthcare products, with more than 400 employees, multiple R&D centres and manufacturing across Israel and North America.
How has the functional gummy market changed in recent years?
Beyond category growth, consumers are fundamentally changing how they experience supplements. Functional gummies grew from 2% of the U.S. VMS market in 2010 to approximately 25% today, becoming the leading individual delivery format. Between 2020 and 2025, functional gummy supplements grew at approximately 19% CAGR, significantly outperforming the overall market, while the category more than doubled in value. This reflects movement from clinical-feeling routines toward enjoyable daily formats. Gummies are also becoming more sophisticated. The first generation focused mainly on simple vitamins. The next delivers meaningful doses of minerals, probiotics, iron, Omega-3, creatine, protein and other traditionally pill- or powder-based ingredients. We are moving from making supplements into gummies to using gummies as advanced delivery systems in their own right. That technological challenge will define the market’s next phase.
What is driving consumers towards gummies as a delivery format?
Amid pill fatigue, people want easier, more enjoyable health routines. Taste, convenient use and ease of swallowing are major drivers, with taste ranking as the leading declared reason for preferring gummies in the research we follow. Younger consumers are accelerating adoption: 38% of Gen Z respondents in one survey selected gummies as their preferred supplement format. However, all ages want health products that fit positively into daily life rather than feel clinical. This directly affects compliance. Even excellent supplements require consistent use to deliver their intended benefit. A functional gummy can turn “I have to take my supplement” into a moment consumers anticipate. For us, enjoyment is not secondary to functionality. It is part of functionality because it helps support a consistent routine.
What are the biggest formulation challenges when adding functional ingredients to gummies?
A functional gummy may look simple, but it is a highly complex delivery system. Each active creates distinct demands. Some are bitter, metallic or strongly scented. Others interact with the matrix, change pH, influence gelling, affect texture or introduce stability issues. Minerals are particularly challenging because meaningful nutritional doses may require very high active loading. Shelf-life performance also matters: target dosage must remain reliable throughout the product’s life. Technologies such as our TopCaps microencapsulation platform can mask difficult flavours, protect sensitive ingredients, improve stability, preserve potency and, in some applications, influence release. Technical success is incomplete unless the gummy remains delicious and enjoyable. A gummy must still create a small moment of enjoyment while delivering the required functionality.
How do you balance nutritional functionality with taste and texture?
TopGum has a distinctive advantage: we began more than 20 years ago as a gummy confectionery company. That heritage created deep knowledge of texture, flavour, aroma, acidity, sweetness, mouthfeel and appearance. As TopGum evolved into a nutraceutical CDMO, we combined this confectionery expertise with nutritional science, chemistry and advanced formulation. Consumers expect serious efficacy and dosage together with genuine enjoyment. Delivering high magnesium levels without sandy texture or mineral aftertaste, or high-dose iron without its characteristic metallic note, requires nutritional and sensory design to happen together from the first development stage. This combination of science and enjoyment is central to TopGum’s DNA.
