Jelly Belly UK: The Complete Guide to America's Gourmet Jelly Bean

Before Jelly Belly, jelly beans were cheap. They were penny candy — hard sugar shells around a plain sweetened centre, sold by the handful from corner shops, uniform in texture and largely forgettable in flavour. Jelly Belly changed that. When the brand launched in 1976, each bean carried flavour in both the centre and the shell, precise enough that it tasted identifiably of the thing it was supposed to taste of. A lemon Jelly Belly tastes like a lemon. A root beer Jelly Belly tastes like root beer. A buttered popcorn Jelly Belly tastes like buttered popcorn, which is either the best thing about the brand or the worst depending entirely on who you ask.

The Goelitz Family and the Gourmet Jelly Bean

The company that makes Jelly Belly has been making confectionery since 1869, when Gustav Goelitz, a German immigrant, started a candy business in Belleville, Illinois. For decades the family was best known for candy corn. His son Herman later moved west and set up the Herman Goelitz Candy Company, and in 1965 the company developed a Mini Jelly Bean with natural flavouring in the centre as well as the shell — unusual at the time. In 1976 a Los Angeles candy distributor, David Klein, worked with Herman Rowland, Herman Goelitz's grandson, to turn that idea into a new gourmet bean, with the Goelitz company as manufacturer. The name was Klein's — reportedly a nod to the blues musician Lead Belly — and so was the idea of selling the beans as separate flavours rather than a mixed bag. The first eight flavours, Very Cherry, Tangerine, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape, Licorice, Root Beer and Cream Soda, went on sale at Fosselman's ice cream parlour in Alhambra, California. Rowland's company bought the Jelly Belly trademark from Klein in 1980.

Ronald Reagan and the Blueberry Flavour

Ronald Reagan's relationship with the company began long before the presidency. He had given up smoking and turned to sweets instead, and from 1969, as governor of California, he was eating the Goelitz company's Mini Jelly Beans. In 1973 he wrote to Herman Rowland: 'We can hardly start a meeting or make a decision without passing around the jar of jelly beans.' When he won the presidency in 1980, the company shipped 3.5 tons of red, white and blue Jelly Belly beans to Washington for the inauguration. For the blue, there was a problem: there was no blue jelly bean in the range. So they created one. Blueberry was developed for the Reagan inauguration in January 1981 and remains one of Jelly Belly's best-known flavours. Reagan kept jars on hand throughout his presidency, and in 1983 he sent Jelly Belly beans into space on the Space Shuttle Challenger — the first jelly beans in orbit.

Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans

The second major chapter in Jelly Belly's cultural history began in 2000, when the Harry Potter franchise was approaching peak cultural saturation and Jelly Belly became the official manufacturer of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. What they produced was a range where conventional flavours sat alongside Earwax, Vomit, Soap, Booger, Grass, Dirt, Sardine, Sausage and Rotten Egg — each designed to be as authentic as possible. The earwax flavour, by most accounts, is uncomfortably convincing. Bertie Bott's introduced Jelly Belly to an entirely new generation and expanded the brand's appeal well beyond the confectionery market. It remains one of the strongest gift and novelty products in the range — the challenge format, where you can't tell a good bean from a horrible one until it's in your mouth, paved the way for later challenge beans such as Jelly Belly's own BeanBoozled. For the wider wizarding range, see our Harry Potter sweets guide.

The Ferrara Connection

In 2023, Ferrara Candy Company agreed to acquire the Jelly Belly Candy Company — the same company that makes Nerds. Ferrara, part of the Ferrero family's group of companies, has been building one of the biggest collections of American candy brands in the industry, with a portfolio that includes Nerds, Trolli, SweeTARTS, Brach's and Laffy Taffy. For the day-to-day production of Jelly Belly, the Fairfield, California factory continues to produce beans to the same specifications.

The Range at Sweet and Glory

The Jelly Belly range at Sweet and Glory spans the flavour range across several formats. The 70g bag is the core: the 20 Flavours bag is the flagship, Sours delivers the acid-forward version, and Cocktail Classics brings mojito and margarita flavours — alcohol-free, and a popular gift for adults. Themed mixes such as Bubble Tea, Ice Cream Mix, American Classics and Tutti Frutti sit alongside single-flavour bags including Very Cherry, Watermelon, Cotton Candy, Bubble Gum, Hot Cinnamon and Toasted Marshmallow. Buttered Popcorn is still the most divisive flavour in the catalogue, loved and loathed in equal measure.

The large-format Jelly Belly Chews in 1.36kg and 6.8kg extend the brand into pick and mix and scoop bin contexts. The 28g mini pouches, in Assorted, Fruit Mix and Bubble Tea, are the impulse format for till-point display. The 100g box format in 20 Flavours, Sours and Fruit Mix is the premium gifting option. Bertie Bott's, in the 35g box, 54g bag and 125g gift box, is the gift and occasion product alongside the core range.

For Retailers: Why Jelly Belly Works Across Every Format

Jelly Belly sits at the premium end of the jelly bean category — priced and perceived above standard jelly beans. In a pick and mix display, Jelly Belly commands attention and supports a higher price per 100g. The brand recognition is strong enough that many customers approach the display looking specifically for Jelly Belly rather than jelly beans in general. Bertie Bott's is ready-made content — it generates gift purchases year-round with a peak at Christmas and birthdays, and the challenge format creates social media content that drives further sales. For display and range advice, see our American candy section setup guide.

Browse the Full Jelly Belly Range

The Jelly Belly range is available wholesale at Sweet and Glory. Browse the Jelly Belly brand page for current availability, or the full candy range. For the National Jelly Bean Day angle and seasonal promotion ideas, see our National Jelly Bean Day guide.

No minimum order. Free first parcel on orders over £150 ex VAT (additional boxes £7.10 each). Free pallet delivery over £650 ex VAT. Dispatched from Manchester. Create a free account to browse and order.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a blueberry Jelly Belly? Blueberry was created specifically for Ronald Reagan's 1981 presidential inauguration. The Goelitz company shipped 3.5 tons of red, white and blue beans to Washington — but there was no blue flavour in the range at the time, so they developed Blueberry for the occasion. It launched in January 1981 and remains one of the brand's best-known flavours.

What makes Jelly Belly different from ordinary jelly beans? Jelly Belly beans carry flavour in both the centre and the shell, giving each of the official flavours a precise, identifiable taste — a lemon bean tastes like lemon, a buttered popcorn bean tastes like buttered popcorn. That flavour precision is what separates them from generic jelly beans and puts them at the premium end of the category.

What are Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans? Bertie Bott's are the Harry Potter-licensed 'challenge' jelly beans that Jelly Belly has made since 2000 — a mix of normal flavours and deliberately horrible ones (Earwax, Vomit, Grass) that look identical, so you can't tell which you're getting. They're a strong gift and party product, popular with Harry Potter fans as much as candy fans.

Where can I buy Jelly Belly wholesale in the UK? Sweet and Glory stocks the full Jelly Belly range wholesale — bags, boxes, mini pouches and large-format chews, plus Bertie Bott's — with no minimum order. Create a free account to browse and order. Related guides: National Jelly Bean Day guide · Harry Potter sweets complete guide · Who really owns Willy Wonka? · Most popular American sweets UK · TikTok candy trends guide

Sources

Wikipedia, Jelly Belly (company history, Klein, Fosselman's, Reagan, Ferrara): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_Belly
Jelly Belly Candy Company, Our history: jellybelly.com
Ferrara Candy Company, agreement to acquire Jelly Belly Candy Company (October 2023): ferrara.com
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Reagan and jelly beans: reaganlibrary.gov

Written by Sharon Wilson, Sweet and Glory. Sweet and Glory has imported American and world confectionery into the UK from Trafford Park, Manchester, since 2015.