Cherry, Popcorn, Root Beer, Berry.
Who says Magic Beans are imaginary?
Blind Taste Tests and childhood fun, Jelly Belly is here to show us how it’s done.
The origin of the Jellybean is surprisingly mysterious.
The most popular theory is that the Jellybean was a crossover
between the Turkish delight and Jordan Almonds.
Taking the chewy sweetness from the Turkish delight and encasing it in the sugary shell
of a Jordan almond.
By the 20th century they had gained popularity in America and quickly became a candy classic.
Fun fact, president Ronald Reagan historically munched on these sugary treats to wean himself
off pipe tobacco.
He was such a jellybean fanatic that he even gifted a jar of red, white and blue beans
to President Clinton when he was elected in 1992.
I guess a love for Jellybeans is something we can all agree on.
The first stop is in the kitchen.
Where confectioners are mixing together the base for the beans.
Any guess what this is?
That’s 2000 pounds of cornstarch.
Yea, you heard that right…
2000 pounds.
This cornstarch is attached to a large funnel that dispenses the powder into heated tubes.
These tubes jet cook the cornstarch with sugar, water and corn syrup and transport the mixture
into a large kettle.
This is now called “Slurry” and it’s the base of all Jellybeans, no matter what flavor.
Root Beer, Juicy Pear, Strawberry Jam…
The possibilities are endless.
This flavor being mixed happens to be orange and is made up of Natural juice concentrates
and fruit purees.
Once the Slurry is properly mixed a switch is flipped and it is gravity fed out of the
kettle, through the pipes to the floor below.
It’s final destination is this machine, called a mogul.
The mogul’s task is very important because it is what gives the Jellybean its distinctive
shape.
Trays with firmed Jellybean centers, that were made the previous day, are loaded onto
the machine and fed through a compartment.
Inside the mogul, the tray is flipped over to discard the centers onto a conveyor belt below.
Although we couldn’t get our cameras inside, the newly emptied trays are being filled with
fresh cornstarch and imprinted with 1260 Jellybean shapes.
The Slurry mixture from the floor above is then dispensed evenly into each impression
and conveyed along a track back to a heated dry room to sit overnight.
Tomorrow, the beans will come out and the loop will repeat.
The firmed bean centers are passed along a belt where the excess cornstarch is shaken off.
Now for some steam.
By steaming the jellybeans the exterior shell becomes slightly sticky making them ready
for a “Sugar Shower.”
Thin mists of sugary delight rain down over the centers, as they cascade off the end of
the conveyor belt.
It almost looks like they are dancing.
Bravo!
Beans are tumbled and ready to be transferred to rest.
This allows moisture to evaporate.
Leaving a chew, delicious center.
Although they look good enough to eat, the bean is practically naked without it’s shell.
The first step to getting that shiny outside layer is called engrossing.
The centers are loaded up into these devices called “Pans” and it begins to turn.
While the beans spin, a confectioner periodically adds colored flavoring and sugar.
This process may look simple, but the real magic is happening here.
If not alternated correctly the beans can clump or lose their shape.
The confectioner carefully watches and checks on texture to ensure the best results.
Before the shells are complete they need that final glossy layer to make them shine.
Ladles full of confectioner’s glaze, bee’s wax and shellac are evenly poured over the
beans to give them their final sheen.
This room is dubbed “the sea of beans”
and it holds an estimated 240 million shiny jellybeans.
Our lives have “bean” empty without this.
Some of these candies just won’t make the cut.
Some have lost their shape or are simply too big.
These oopsidayses are called “Belly flops” and are separated from the other jellybeans
in this machine.
The candies that make the cut are fed through a tube and run underneath two rollers that
print the jelly belly logo on each individual bean.
Assorted flavors are poured onto a 100ft conveyor belt, creating a rainbow of beans.
All these colors are mixed together and taken to the packaging room.
An exact amount of beans are dispensed into each package and immediately sealed.
Traveling along a belt, they are packaged by robotic arms that pick up each packet and
places them in a box.
All around the world, people of all ages look forward to opening that little box of
Jelly Bellys.
And with dozens of flavors to choose from, there’s a Jelly Belly for everyone.
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