Jump to content

Jelly Belly

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Simonmckenzie (talk | contribs) at 23:12, 30 July 2013 (Added "citation needed" to a claim). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the disease informally called jelly belly, see pseudomyxoma peritonei.
Jelly Belly Candy Company
Company typePrivate
IndustryConfections
Founded1869
HeadquartersFairfield, California
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Herman G Rowland
ProductsJelly beans, candy corn, mellowcremes, gummis, jells, chocolate confections
Revenue$200 million[1]
Number of employees
725
WebsiteJellyBelly.com

The Jelly Belly Candy Company, or simply Jelly Belly, formerly known as The Herman Goelitz Candy Company, makes the Jelly Belly jelly bean and other candy.[2] The company is based in Fairfield, California, and produces more than 37 million pounds (17,000 tons) of candy annually[3] at its Fairfield, North Chicago, Illinois, and Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, facilities, which have nearly 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2) of production space among them.[3]

History

In 1976, David Klein, a candy and nut distributor, approached the Herman Goelitz Candy Company and requested a new type of jelly bean.[4][5]

Fourth-generation Goelitz descendent Herman G. Rowland, Sr. and his parents had decided to expand the company's products more than a decade before. The company was the first American manufacturer to make a gummy bear for the US market. They also made candy corn, mellocremes, gummi worms, giant jelly beans and mini jelly beans, which were the precursor to the Jelly Belly. Confectioner Marinus van Dam was employed by the company to manage the plant and oversee new product development with Herman obtaining a candy manufacturing degree in the Netherlands, he emigrated to the United States and went to work for the Herman Goelitz Candy Company in the 1960s. He rose to the level of vice president before moving on to other companies and finally starting his own business, Marich Confectionery.

Traditional jelly beans started out with plain, uncolored pectin centers that were merely sweetened with sugar. Only the outer candy coating was colored and flavored. The third and fourth generations of the candy family decided to produce a superior jelly bean to set itself apart from traditional jelly beans. The centers for the company's mini jelly bean were colored and flavored. This flavor-enhancing process was also used on the outer candy shell. With the new generation of Jelly Belly beans, the company used real fruit juices and natural flavors when possible with the intent of improving flavor. The finished Jelly Belly beans contained about half the sugar of the regular jelly bean[citation needed], and were more flavorful than the generic jelly beans sold in stores.

David Klein sold the first Jelly Belly jelly beans in an ice cream parlor, Fosselman's, in Alhambra, California in 1976. The first flavors were Very Cherry, Tangerine, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape Jelly, Licorice, Root Beer, and Cream Soda. Total sales for the first seven-day period was $44. The product was selling for $2 per pound, which was considered a very high price at the time. Klein is no longer associated with this jelly bean and has his own company which makes David's Signature Jelly Beans.

Jelly Belly jelly beans were a favorite of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who kept a jar of them on his desk in the White House, Blair House and on Air Force One.[2] and who also made them the first jelly beans in outer space, sending them on the Shuttle Orbiter Challenger during the STS-7 mission in 1983, as a surprise for the astronauts.[2]

Products

Official 50 flavors

A collection of various Jelly Belly jelly bean flavors.

Jelly Belly officially has 50 flavors (originally 40) that are made year-round. Additionally, Jelly Belly frequently produces "rookie" flavors that sometimes are added to the jelly beans in the 50 official flavors if they become popular enough.

Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans

Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans were based on a product featured in the Harry Potter book series. These can be found in Hot Topic stores, the Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida, Toys R Us, online, and select book stores. They are ambiguously colored and consist of a mixture of the original jellybean flavors, as well as some unique, less pleasant ones like grass, vomit, rotten eggs, and boogers. The brand is sold under license to Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company, which bought Cap Candy, a division of Hasbro.

According to the Harry Potter Lexicon,[6] flavors may include sardine, black pepper, grass, horseradish, vomit, booger, earwax, dirt, earthworm, spaghetti, spinach, soap, sausage, pickle, bacon, and rotten egg.

Sugar-free jelly beans

Jelly Belly also produces sugar-free jelly beans that come in these flavors:

They are sweetened with Splenda and maltitol. In addition to sugar-free jelly beans, all varieties are certified OU Kosher by the Orthodox Union.[7]

JBz

JBz were a candy manufactured by The Jelly Belly Candy Company starting in 2003. Meant to capture the popularity of both Jelly Bellies and M&M's candies, JBz were chocolate candies covered with Jelly Belly-flavored shells. Some 20+ flavors were used for JBz, but they never caught on for fans of either candy and were discontinued in 2009.

Among the Jelly Belly flavors used for JBz shells were raspberry, coconut, strawberry cheesecake, Juicy Pear, apricot, cappuccino, Very Cherry, Ice Blue Mint, cotton candy, Top Banana, Honey Graham Cracker, orange juice, licorice, green apple, Sizzling Cinnamon, grape, blueberry, Buttered Popcorn, Toasted Marshmallow and Tutti Fruitti.[8] A "chocolate lovers" assortment was also made that included Chocolate Cappuccino, Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Chocolate Vanilla.[9] By:Trent

Fruit Gems

Jelly Belly now also makes Fruit Gems under license from Sunkist.[10] Sunkist-branded Jelly Bellys are also available and come in citrus flavours that include lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, and tangerine.

Jelly Belly Gourmet Soda

Jelly Belly Gourmet Soda is a gourmet soda line that was introduced with WIT beverages in October 2009.[11] Made with cane sugar and containing 90 calories per bottle, the new line has nine flavors, including: Lemon Drop, Sour Cherry, Blueberry, Green Apple, Crushed Pineapple, Tangerine, Juicy Pear, Strawberry, and Very Cherry.

Facilities

Entrance to the Jelly Belly factory and visitor's center

The company operates two manufacturing plants in Fairfield, Calif., and in North Chicago, Ill. A third facility is a distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., which offers public tours.

The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California, has daily tours and was named "Best Factory Tour in America" by a 2005 Reader's Digest article. The tours, which are free for anyone, take visitors along suspended walkways over the rooms where the candy is manufactured, stopping them from time to time to watch video segments about what is going on below. Free samples are distributed afterward. Visitors can also purchase bags of Belly Flops, imperfect jelly beans that didn't quite make it to specification. A feature of the tour are several portraits made entirely of Jelly Belly jelly beans, including U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[12][13]

Another public tour in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, operates daily and takes visitors on an indoor electric train ride through the facility to learn how candy is made, see retired manufacturing equipment and watch shipping.

References

  1. ^ Kate Murphy, "Not Just Another Jelly Bean", New York Times, June 26, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c About Jelly Belly
  3. ^ a b Jelly Belly Candy Co. | SCORE
  4. ^ Klein David Klein was "Mr.Jelly Belly until the trademark was sold in 1580. ..German American Corner: The Goelitz Family: Candy Corn & Jelly Belly
  5. ^ [1] Chocolate Trading Company
  6. ^ "HPL:Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans". The Harry Potter Lexicon.
  7. ^ "Jelly Belly Candy Gourmet Confectionery Now OU Kosher"
  8. ^ "JBz. (Candy Product Update). | Food & Beverage > Food Industry from". AllBusiness.com. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  9. ^ "Jelly Belly JBz Chocolates: 10LB Case". Candywarehouse.com. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  10. ^ "Jelly Belly Fruit Gems Candy". candyfavorites.com. {{cite news}}: Text "March 22, 2011" ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Jelly Belly Signs WIT Beverages for Soda Line". LicensingExpo.com. May 6, 2009.
  12. ^ http://jellybelly.com/Cultures/en-US/Fun/Bean+Art+Gallery/
  13. ^ Jelly Belly company representative
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Jelly_Belly&oldid=566497895"