A Jelly Belly Time In Cali

I don't have kids, but I immediately became one again when I went on a 40-minute tour of the Jelly Belly Candy Factory (www.jellybelly.com) in Fairfield, California (near San Francisco). I must admit I didn't know the difference between a jelly bean and a jelly belly--until I went inside. Scents of chocolate, cinnamon, and sugar hit you immediately as you enter the sweet smelling building. Jelly Bellys actually started in 1976, in L.A. by a candy distributor who wanted to make jelly beans with natural flavorings.The first eight Jelly Belly flavors were: Very Cherry, Lemon, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Green Apple, Root Beer, Grape and Licorice. Turns out Ronald Reagan—whose portrait is done here in Jelly Bellys along with Queen Elizabeth, Laurel & Hardy and Ben Franklin—was a JB fanatic. On the tour, I viewed workers cooking up to sugary treats—some 50-plus flavors, including some that didn’t sound so tasty.

Apparently it takes more than a week to make a single bean because of all the different varieties. In all they churn out 1.25 million a day. The beans get steam baths, sugar showers and end up in the "engrossing pan," where they are doused with four flavored syrupand sugar coats. Then they are they're polished and printed with the Jelly Belly logo. The Jelly Belly folks also make taffy (which is pulled and pulled until it is a large wad before it is cut into small pieces), chocolates, and gummi candies. After the tour, I headed to the sampling bar to taste test. After around of specialty flavors: Buttered Popcorn (the favorite in theU.S.), Watermelon, Juicy Pear, A&W Root Beer, Jalapeno, and Banana Pudding. I tried some of the “recipes.” If you combine Cappuccino, A&W Cream Soda and Chocolate Pudding you get Tiramisu. Eat Mango, Lemon Lime and Jalapeno together and you get Mango tango Salsa. They also have Belly Flops, imperfect candies sold at a discount. I ate so many Jelly Bellys I didn’t have room for lunch in the Jelly Belly Cafe where they serve up Jelly Belly-shaped pizza and hamburgers. Well, maybe next time—after I get over my sugar shock.

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