Jelly Belly: Simply Spectacular or Spectacularly Simple?

In 1976, while our nation celebrated its Bicentennial, something even more historic was happening in a little California town called Los Angeles, where Jelly Belly jelly beans were born.

Jelly Belly has always been my bean of choice. There are other brands - from Brach's to Russell Stover to the oddly named Just Born - but they're mere pretenders to the pectin throne.

So when given the task of evaluating a brand for "Professional Communications in the Digital Age," I found my inspiration in a four-pound jar of sugar, corn syrup and food starch (and a few other ingredients).

Unlike GE, with its "imagination at work" slogan right at the top of its home page, finding what drives Jelly Belly as a brand takes a little bit of digging, much like finding your favorite flavor (mine's licorice) among the other 48 in the jar. But buried in the brand's rich history, which dates back to 1869, is their mission statement, which can be inferred from the description of Jelly Belly itself - "the world's #1 gourmet jelly bean."

The simplicity of such a statement might not work for a global conglomerate making everything from appliances to steam turbines, but it's perfect for Jelly Belly. After all, the company's mission is to make a gourmet jelly bean that is better than all the rest.

Company history, however, was much easier to locate, listed under "About Jelly Belly" and detailing not only the origins of Jelly Belly, but of the jelly bean itself. I was intrigued to learn that Gustav Goerlitz's confectionary company, now known for its gourmet jelly beans, also invented the popular (and seasonally appropriate) candy corn.  

But the company's turning point came in 1976, when a candy distributor came up with a novel idea for jelly beans - making them with "true-to-life" flavors and natural ingredients. Since then, Jelly Belly has had millions of fans, from ordinary citizens to heads of state. President Ronald Reagan inspired Jelly Belly to create a blueberry flavor "so he could serve red, white and blue beans at his inaugural parties," according to company lore.  

In addition to its 50 official flavors of signature gourmet beans and candy corn, the company offers an eclectic of variety of bean-based/themed treats.  Want a vomit- or skunk-flavored jelly bean? Look no further that their "BeanBoozled" line. Need an electrolyte boost on the playing field? Sports Beans is the answer.

Appealing to taste buds is just part of Jelly Belly, and the company has created a product not only to consume, but to experience. There's a link for educators and students to provide information on the product and another for a virtual tour of the sequential process of making Jelly Bellies. And for those interested in travel destinations, there's a link to schedule a free factory tour.

Finally, Jelly Belly aims at a wide target audience and cleverly includes an "Ideas" section on its Web site, providing suggestions on how to customize gifts for holidays, birthdays and other special occasions. It also offers Jelly Belly-themed merchandise, like t-shirts and candy dispensers, along with gift cards for the creatively challenged.

While I'm not sure I'll be purchasing vomit-flavored beans for any of my loved ones (but maybe for an old boss) or trekking to Fairfield, California for a tour, it's nice to know a consumer has such bizarre interesting options available.