When it comes to jelly beans it's all about quality and quantity! The most widely known
company for producing these chewy sweet beans is Jelly Belly. They make over 50 flavors
of jelly beans, produce over 2 million beans per hour and over 14 billion beans per year!
That's a lot of jelly beans. With that in mind here are the Top 10 Untold Truths Of
Jelly Belly.
Jelly Belly Also Made Candy Corn Popular
Before Jelly Belly came to be what it is today, it started off quite differently. Way back
in the 1800s there was a gentleman named Gustav Goelitz who moved to the US from Germany and
had a passion for sweet confectioneries. Gustav started The Goelitz Candy Company and began
to make and sell candy in the late 1880s and he is also often credited for the creation
of candy corn. Though it was not created by Gustav himself, but rather his Goelitz Candy
Company was the first to start mass producing it. Back then it was a very difficult process
to create the three colors of white, orange and yellow by using hot buttercream. The buttercream
had to be poured into candy molds by hand because at the time there were no machines.
Fun fact; when they first created candy corn it was originally called "chicken feed buttercream
candies". Goelitz's perseverance paid off. During the Great Depression about 900 candy
companies closed their doors but The Goelitz Candy Company wasn’t one of them due to
the popularity and sales from candy corn. Fast forward to 1960 when jelly beans finally
came into production to bringing the company even more success and sales. In 2001 the
The Goelitz Candy Company officially changed their name to the Jelly Belly Candy Company.
Jelly Belly's Beans Are Different
In 1976, Goelitz released the Jelly Belly brand of jelly beans. These were special because
they were different from the standard jelly beans. What differentiated them from regular
jelly beans was that both the exterior shell and the chewy inside were both flavored. The
middle of the jelly bean has the same flavor of chewy center as the exterior shell whereas,
the standard jelly beans have no taste in the center just in the shell. Jelly Belly
stepped up the jelly bean game by flavoring the inside too. The Jelly Belly beans are
also smaller than regular jelly beans and have a lot more flavors to offer than traditional
packaged jelly beans. Jelly Belly is also unique in the sense that you do not have to
buy a mixed pack of flavored jelly beans. Unlike all the other jelly beans out there,
you can always grab a pack of just one flavor of your Jelly Belly favorite. Another difference
is that regular jelly beans are not made with natural ingredients. Jelly Belly jelly beans
are. Confectionary experts at the company use real ingredients whenever and however
they can to mimic the taste of the real thing. They use natural flavors, citrus oils and fruit
purees.
Jelly Belly And World Records
Jelly Belly loves art and there are some amazing jelly bean masterpieces that people have been
created. When it comes to Jelly Belly art pieces they even hold a Guinness World record
for the largest candy art ever. Jelly Belly also donated 288,000 jelly beans in 47 different
flavors for the world's first jelly bean stop-motion animation music video. The first jelly bean
animation music video was for the song "In Your Arms" by Kina Grannis. There is a vast
collection of jelly bean art pieces. But most of the World records come from slightly more,
obscure feats. Things along the lines of the "Fastest Time To Pick All 49 Flavors Out Of
A Two-Pound Jelly Belly Bag" or how about the "Most Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Held In
One Hand" maybe you're more impressed by the "Fastest Time To Eat 10 Jelly Beans Without
Using Hands". Start searching around and you'll run into to some really weird stuff, like
the furtherest a Jelly Bean has ever been launched, from a nose... or, the most amount
of jelly beans moved from one bowl to another using tweezers, inside a Toyota Prius. Yes
the Prius is part of the record... These are just a few of the countless Jelly Belly related
world records that are out there.
Gummy Bears And Worms First
This is a true story. Well, sort of. Before The Goelitz Candy Company became Jelly Belly,
the confectionery was also creating gummy worms and gummy bears. Though again, not the
creators of said candy, that would of course be Hans Rieglel of the Haribo company, but
Goelitz was the first company to mass produce them in the United States. Though Jelly Beans
are obviously their best sellers, they do also sell a vast amount of gummy candy as
well. In another twist of second hand fate, The Goelitz Candy Company also actually didn't
originally create jelly beans themselves. History says that the jelly bean was created
by an unknown American candy maker in the 1800s. There was also an 1861 advertisement
that said they should send jelly beans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War. So, jelly
beans to the rescue? Well, whether you love jelly beans, gummy candies or both, Jelly
Belly has you covered and they've been doing so for decades.
Very Cherry Is The Very Best
That's right, very cherry takes the cake... and with a cherry on top! According to Jelly
Belly, the Americans love very cherry jelly beans and they take the spot as the number
one flavor. Although this is not the case on all continents as different cultures have
different preferences when it comes to taste and flavors. So what are the other top flavors
from around the world you ask? Well, in Asia they love lemon-lime, very fresh and citrusy.
In Australia, they love bubble gum, anything bubble gum flavor is big in the land down
under. In Europe, they love tutti-frutti, fun and flavorful. And in the Middle East,
they love the berry blue, yup the one that makes your tongue turn blue! But just because
in America very cherry is number one doesn't mean that other classic and new innovative
flavors don't get any love. Buttered popcorn actually takes second place. Adults and kids
both love cherry and buttered popcorn, yet adults also go for coconut, juicy pear, licorice,
and strawberry daiquiri. While kids prefer flavors like berry blue, green apple, raspberry,
sour apple, and watermelon - the delicious fruity flavors. At least, if the kids don't
want to eat their fruit, you know they'll eat the jelly bean equivalent to it!
Ronald Reagan And Jelly Beans
Ronald Reagan was a bigger fan of these magical beans than Jack from beanstalk fame ever could
be. Reagan began eating jelly beans as a way to help him kick his bad habit of smoking.
We guess it worked because he quit smoking but instead became addicted to jelly beans.
He was a regular consumer while he was the Governor of California and his favorite flavor
was licorice. Fast forward to 1981. For Reagan’s presidential inauguration a new flavor was
created just for him, blueberry. Why? Because the Goelitz Candy Company sent Reagan 3.5
tons of jelly beans with the patriotic colors red, white and blue. But at that time they
didn't have a blue jelly bean so they created one. So the next time you have a blueberry
jelly belly bean, you can thank Reagan for that one. Reagan received very cherry, coconut
and blueberry jelly beans for a fruity fun inauguration where it is estimated that 40 million jelly
beans were consumed during the celebrations. Then during his presidency, it is estimated
that he and his office consumed about 300,000 jelly beans a month. A month! That's a lot
of jelly beans - we did mention he was a little addicted to them, right? He had The Goelitz
Candy Company send him 720 bags every month to ensure he got his fix and he kept a jar
on his desk filled with them for quick access to the sugary snack. Reagan also had a jelly-bean
jar holder installed on the presidential jet because he didn't go anywhere without jelly
belly beans. Reagan also had jelly beans sent to space. That's right, he sent a load of
jelly beans with the astronauts on a space shuttle mission.
It Takes 7-14 Days To Make A Jelly Belly Jelly Bean
It's not easy to mass-produce billions of jelly beans in over 50 different flavors.
It is not a quick process. It actually takes days and it’s a very precise process with
many steps that must be done just right to achieve the right look, shape, texture and
taste. So, what is this intricate process? First, liquid sugar and flavors are heated
and mixed with starch and glucose. Then the concoction gets poured into bean-shaped starch
molds and left to dry. This takes a few hours. Once dry, the starch is removed so the beans
can get sprayed with sugar. In case you were wondering what jelly beans are made of, it's
sugar, sugar and more sugar. Once the jelly beans are sprayed with sugar they go through
what's called in the confectionery world as panning - where the sweet beans go into rotating
machines to get spun while color and flavor is added. Then grains of sugar are poured
which create the bean’s hard shell. To finish off the job, the beans need to get their shiny
coat by getting tossed around with hot syrup and wax. One more step before the beans are
ready to go - they need to be thoroughly dried, stamped with the jelly belly logo, packaged
and then they are ready to be shipped around the world.
The Company Has A Candy Line For Athletes
Jelly Belly wanted to cover every angle when it came to marketing their products. So they
came up with a special jelly bean line called Sports Beans. Usually athletes don't eat candy
or sugary foods and instead stick to a strict diet to keep them lean, only eating things
like chicken, veggies, fruits, and so on. In this case, they might make an exception
because these jelly beans are meant to give a quick energy boost with added carbs, electrolytes,
and vitamins. Athletes who need a pick me up can now grab a handful of sport beans to
get the job done. Jelly Beans pushing athletes to their best? Well it is 2020 after all.
Jelly Belly came up with the idea of putting electrolytes in the beans with the hope of
attracting all types of athletes to their sports beans. Electrolytes are something athletes
usually take before, during and/or after a workout. Watch out Gatorade. They also have
another version of these beans called Extreme Sports Beans which incorporates caffeine in
them for an additional energy boost. Jelly Belly actually sponsors a pro cycling team
and supplies them with the sports beans. These sports beans are designed to replenish carbs
for high-performance athletes. Who's ready to start running or cycling if it means you
get to eat sporty jelly beans? I mean, jelly beans or a kale smoothie? Who’s winning
that contest?
Beer Flavored Jelly Beans
You would think that since strawberry daiquiri flavoured jelly beans did so well then a beer
flavor would too, especially with the adults. However, it did not. Jelly Belly actually
goes through a very extensive process when picking and creating new flavors. Not only
that but they bring in the actual product to get the flavor as close to the real thing
as they can. Then they go through a rigorous taste testing process to make sure the taste
is as perfect as it can be. With such a long and arduous process you would think that all
the flavors released would be great. However, the draft beer flavor didn't make the cut.
Hold on a second, who is taste testing flavors like rotten eggs, vomit, baby wipes, and stinky
socks to make sure they taste exactly like the real thing? These are actual Jelly Belly
flavors released under their Bean Boozled line. Anyway, it was in 2014 that Jelly Belly
launched the alcohol-free draft beer jelly beans. They were hoping it would become a
huge hit because of how long it took to develop this bean: a whopping three years! After the
beer beans hit the market, they quickly flopped, mainly because parents complained that the
flavor was not kid-friendly and kids are one of their biggest consumers. Jelly Belly insisted
that they were only marketing these booze inspired beans to adults and that the flavor
had been requested for years. They do have other alcohol inspired jelly beans that didn't
get so much negative attention and are favored by many. They probably thought draft beer
jelly beans would do just as well as the margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and pina colada jelly
beans. While the draft beer jelly bean can still be found, some flavors that didn't make
the cut and were discontinued include honey, apricot, blackberry brandy, Irish crème,
jalapeño, peanut butter, papaya, and guarana.
Weird And Gross
The Jelly Belly company offers over 50 flavors of jelly beans and they are always coming
up with new and exciting flavors. Some good and some just plain gross. Some of the newest
flavors are pancakes & maple syrup, champagne, canned dog food, and centipede. Would you
dare to try them all? The company created something unique as well, a Bean Boozled box
that has 20 flavors in the box: 10 classic and 10 gross-tasting lookalikes. The candy
manufacturer released the first package of their Bean Boozled dare challenge in 2007.
The challenge included classic flavors like coconut to go alongside its identical twin
in a not so taste bud friendly flavor like baby wipes. If you pick up a box of these,
you are essentially playing a game of taste bud roulette. You can play bean-boozled if
you dare but you will definitely be tasting some interesting flavors. A yellow and white
jelly bean could mean yummy buttered popcorn or something much less appetizing like rotten
egg! A green one might be juicy pear or booger flavored and a brown one could mean chocolate
pudding or canned dog food. Yummy vs Yikes! There are also international only flavors
such as green tea, guava, lychee, passion fruit and cherry blossom but you'll have to
go abroad and find them.
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