The Gutta Percha Company was founded in Stratford, London, in 1845 by Henry Bewley and Samuel Gurney. The company manufactured a variety of products made from gutta percha, a latex material derived from the gum of the gutta percha tree. It is known for being durable, inert, and a good electrical insulator. Among the Gutta Percha Company's products were decorative items such as commemorative plaques and animal figures, machinery belts and insulation for electrical cables, for which they are best known. In 1850 and 1851 they supplied insulated core to Submarine Telegraph Co. for cross-channel cables.

In April 1867, The Gutta Percha Company merged with the telegraphic interests of Glass, Elliot and Company to form the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company.