One of the most popular candy items of all time is the Jelly Belly. In fact Jelly Belly’s go back a long way and made great strides in all of their flavors. Here is a brief history of them courtesy of Wikipedia:

David Klein (born in 1946) created the marketing concept of a new kind of jelly bean to be sold in single flavors in 1976 He approached the family operating Herman Goelitz Candy Company to manufacture it. 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 gummi 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 famous Jelly Belly jelly bean. Confectioner Marinus van Dam was employed by the company to manage the plant and oversee new product development with Herman Rowland. Marinus van Dam was born in Ooltgensplaat, a township in Oostflakkee, Netherlands, on October 24, 1929. After 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 generation of the candy family decided to produce a superior jelly bean to set itself off 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 to boost the taste experience further. The finished Jelly Belly beans contained about half the sugar of the regular jelly bean, 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, Licorice, Root Beer, and Cream Soda.

With that we have two great choices for our Jelly Belly fans, the Christmas and Autumn gift packs. Each gift pack comes with over 39 different flavors sure to put a smile on either yourself or someone whom you choose to give a gift. Each gift pack is a steal for only $13.95, versus paying up to $18 or more for these gifts. These are a popular item and could very well sell out of stock, so be sure to get your orders in before we run out! What are your favorite flavors when using Jelly Bellies?