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Jelly Belly Candy Company
Private
Industry Confections
Founded 1898
Headquarters Fairfield, California
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Herman G Rowland, Sr., Chairman
Products Jelly beans, candy corn, mellocremes, gummies, jells, chocolate confections
Revenue $190 million
Number of employees
800

Jelly Belly Candy Company, formerly known as Herman Goelitz Candy Company and Goelitz Confectionery Company, manufactures Jelly Belly jelly beans and other candy. The company is based in Fairfield, California, with a second manufacturing facility in North Chicago, Illinois and a distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. In October 2008, the company opened a manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand where it produces confectionery for the international market.

History

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Portrait of Ronald Reagan made of Jelly Belly jelly beans

Gustav Goelitz came to the United States in 1866 and in 1869 started the confectionery business Gustav Goelitz in Belleville, Illinois. In 1898, the company began manufacturing mellowcreme candies (also called mellow cream, and butter cream). The Goelitz Confectionery Company was successful in selling a variety of mellowcreme candy including candy corn. In 1904, the company relocated to Chicago.

Herman Goelitz, the son of Gustav, moved to the West Coast to start his own business, Herman Goelitz Candy Company. The company eventually settled in Oakland, California. In 1960, the company expanded to jelly beans, gummy bears, and various jells. "One of those new products was a small and very flavorful Mini Jelly Bean [developed in 1965]." The Mini Jelly Bean center had natural flavoring, innovative for the time when only the outer shell was flavored.

In 1976, David Klein, a candy and nut distributor, collaborated with Herman Rowland to create a jelly bean using natural purees. Using the Mini Jelly Bean concept, the Jelly Belly jelly bean was created. Klein coined the name "Jelly Belly" as a tribute to blues musician Lead Belly, and was responsible for the design of the product's famous red and yellow trademark.

Jelly Belly jellybean manufacturing (24069906686)
Jelly Belly jellybean manufacturing

After Ronald Reagan became President in 1980, the general public became aware of his preference for Jelly Belly jelly beans. The company supplied Reagan with Jelly Belly jelly beans during his eight years of presidency. Chairman Rowland recalls, "We were thrilled by press reports that President Reagan gave jars of Jelly Belly jelly beans to visiting dignitaries."

Reagan made them the first jelly beans in space, sending them on the Space Shuttle Challenger during the STS-7 mission in 1983, surprising the astronauts.

Product

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Box of Jelly Belly's

Klein sold the first Jelly Belly jelly beans in 1976 at an ice cream parlor called Fosselman's in Alhambra, California. The first flavors were Very Cherry, Tangerine, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape, Licorice, Root Beer, and Cream Soda. It was David Klein's idea to sell them as separate flavors instead of a variety pack".

The Jelly Belly jelly bean, comes in more than 50 varieties, ranging from traditional flavors like orange, lemon, lime, and cherry, to more exotic ones like cinnamon, pomegranate, cappuccino, buttered popcorn and chili-mango.

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Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans

Jelly Belly Candy Company manufactures numerous specialty Jelly Belly jelly beans with licensed products like Tabasco sauce and uncommon candy tastes like egg nog and pancakes and maple syrup. A few flavors, like lychee and green tea, are sold only in markets outside the United States.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans" were inspired by the Harry Potter book series and featured intentionally gruesome flavors such as "Vomit", "Earwax", "Skunk Spray", and "Rotten Egg". A similar product pairs lookalike "normal" jelly beans with weird flavors in a product dubbed "BeanBoozled" which has gone through several editions.

"Sport Beans" are jelly beans designed to provide physical energy and enhance athletic performance. They contain carbohydrates, electrolytes (in the form of sodium and potassium), and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C. "Extreme Sport Beans" include the additional boost of caffeine.

Facilities

Jelly Belly Visitor's Center and factory
Entrance to the Fairfield factory and visitor's center

The company operates three manufacturing plants in Fairfield, California; North Chicago, Illinois; and Rayong, Thailand. A fourth facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, is for distribution.

The Fairfield and Pleasant Prairie locations offer free daily tours. The 14 mi-long (400 m) self-guided Fairfield tour features interactive exhibits, Jelly Belly bean art, and videos featuring the candy manufacturing process. It was named one of the best factory tours for children by FamilyFun Magazine in 2014. The Pleasant Prairie tour features a train ride through the warehouse with videos and displays about the candy manufacturing process and company history.

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