AsAll Hallows’ Eve draws near and the act of downing ungodly amounts ofcandy is considered socially acceptable, it’s time to find what lies atthe center of the ubiquitous jelly bean. Just south of Milwaukee, inthe village of Pleasant Prairie, Jelly Belly offers a tour inside itslarge warehouse and distribution center, where visitors can take a30-minute ride on the Jelly Belly Express train to hear about thecompany’s century of candy-making and learn how treats like candy corn,jelly beans and taffy are made.
Accordingto the National Confectioners Association, the jelly bean is adescendant of a Middle Eastern sweet known as Turkish Delight, acitrus, honey and rose water candy. In the mid-1800s, America wentthrough a “penny candy” craze, when general stores sold a variety ofdifferent candies by weight from glass jars and packaged them in smallpaper bags. This spurred a creative streak in the candy-making biz andconfectioners were coming up with all sorts of ideas, like a jellycandy shaped into a bean and given a soft shell. The shell coating wascreated using the same process the French used when creating Jordanalmonds: rocked in a bowl filled with sugar and syrup until the almondswere coated in a candy shell. In the 1930s, because of their egg-shape,jelly beans became associated with the Easter Bunny, who is believed todeliver eggs as a symbol of new life during the spring season.
JellyBelly’s roots are traced back to Gustav and Albert Goelitz, Germanimmigrants who purchased an ice cream and candy store in Belleville,Ill., in 1869. The second generation of their family invented a newtype of confection called buttercream candies, which include candycorn, a sweet the company has been making with the same recipe since1900.
Since a LosAngeles candy distributor contacted the Goelitz Candy Co. in 1976 withan idea for a jelly bean made with natural flavorings, there have beentwo types of jellybeans in the world: gourmet and traditional. Both take between 6-10days to make, but slight recipe differences give each its unique taste.Gourmet jelly beans tend to be softer and smaller than traditionaljelly beans, and are flavored in both the shell and the middle. This isunlike traditional beans, which typically contain flavor only in theshell. The Goelitz candymakers created a recipe for jelly beans withintense flavors, including very cherry, lemon, cream soda, tangerine,green apple, root beer, grape and licorice.
AtJelly Belly, the manufacturing process begins at the center of thejelly bean. Sugar, corn syrup and other ingredients are cooked in largeboilers and then piped to the starch casting area. Trays, each with animpression the size and shape of the center of a jelly bean, are coatedwith a layer of cornstarch. Mix is squirted onto the trays and driedovernight. Then the cornstarch layer is removed and the middles are putthrough a moisture steam bath and sprayed with sugar.
Afterthey’re set aside for 24 to 48 hours, the centers are placed in arotating drum called an engrossing pan. While the center is rotating,sugar is added gradually to build the shell. Colors and flavors areadded to get the distinct look and taste of the bean, and aconfectioner’s glaze gives the beans a shiny look. After the beans arepolished, a process that can take two to four days, they are ready forshipment.
Thedescendants of Gustav Goelitz continue to spread their wares to theworld under the brand name Confections by Jelly Belly. Chocolatecandies called JBz and Sports Beans, “a source of easily digestiblecarbohydrates for fuel, electrolytes for proper fluid balance, andvitamins for energy metabolism and good health,” are just two of themore than 100 candies the company creates.
Halloweenis the holiday with the highest candy sales, but visitors on the tourof Jelly Belly’s warehouse can sample the goods free.
