Marinus van Dam facts for kids
Marinus van Dam (born October 24, 1929 – died January 6, 1997) was an important early employee at The Herman Goelitz Candy Company. Many people believe he was the person who invented the famous Jelly Belly jelly bean.
Marinus van Dam's Early Life and Career
Marinus van Dam was born in Ooltgensplaat, a town in Oostflakkee, Netherlands. He studied candy making in the Netherlands. After finishing his degree, he moved to the United States. Soon after arriving, he started working for the Herman Goelitz candy company. He worked his way up to become a vice president there. Later, he left to work for other companies. Eventually, he started his own candy business called Marich Confectionery.
How Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Were Created
When Marinus was asked about how he helped make Jelly Belly, he explained that most jelly beans back then were cheap. They had a lot of sugar, about 56%, and were sold for very little money. These older jelly beans had plain, white centers that were only sweetened with sugar. Only the outside candy coating had color and flavor.
Marinus wanted to make a jelly bean that adults would enjoy. He aimed to make them appealing to everyone. His idea was to make the jelly beans much better. For the new Jelly Belly, the centers were colored and flavored. They used real fruit juices and natural flavors. This special flavor process was also used for the outer candy shell.
The finished Jelly Belly had about half the sugar of regular jelly beans. They tasted much better and were a bit healthier too. Marinus developed these recipes. He worked under the guidance of David Klein, who had the original idea for Jelly Belly® jelly beans. David Klein sold the very first Jelly Belly jelly beans in 1976. This happened at a small ice cream shop in Alhambra, California.
The First Jelly Belly Flavors
The first eight flavors of Jelly Belly were:
- Very Cherry
- Tangerine
- Lemon
- Green Apple
- Grape
- Licorice
- Root Beer
- Cream Soda
Marinus van Dam passed away on January 6, 1997. However, the delicious candy he helped create is still enjoyed by many people today.
