Herman Goelitz Candy Co. Visitor Center

The origin of jelly beans, which are made by combining two separate candy-making processes, is unknown. The earliest record of the jelly bean (versus jelly candies) is an 1861 advertisement encouraging people to send jelly beans to the Union Army soldiers. The Jelly Belly bean is a relatively recent invention, created in 1976 by the Herman Goelitz Candy Co., Inc. Its two factories produce 100,000 pounds of Jelly Belly beans a day, or 1.25 million beans an hour. During a guided tour, visitors can watch each step of the industrial engineering process, from creating the jelly centers to polishing the candy shell and packaging the beans for sale.

Activity Details

Activity Type:Trips and Destinations
Discipline:Industrial & Manufacturing
Time:Full day

Fun Fact:Three-and-a-half tons of Jelly Belly beans were shipped to the White House for President Reagan's 1981 inauguration. The blueberry Jelly Belly was invented especially for the occasion, so Reagan could have red, white, and blue beans.