Chewing gum
Barbour's brother had been involved in founding American Chicle Company, the originator of Chiclets. In 1910, Barbour went into business with his brother-in-law, Bartlett Arkell, who had founded the Beech-Nut Packing Company. Until that time, Beech-Nut had been a producer of high-grade foodstuffs. On Barbour's recommendation, Beech-Nut entered the chewing gum business. Barbour traveled extensively in Guatemala, Honduras, British Honduras (now known as Belize) and the Yucatán to procure the company's supply of chicle, the rubbery sap of the sapota tree that was the key ingredient in chewing gum. Barbour served as a director of Beech-Nut from 1910 to 1948 and became vice president in 1921. Chewing gum eventually became Beech-Nut's most successful product, providing $11 million of the company's $18 million in sales in 1935. As of 1925, Barbour and Arkell were the vice president and president, respectively, of Beech-Nut. In 1946, following Arkell's death, Barbour was elected as the chairman of the board of Beech-Nut.