Jelly Beans Were The First Candy Sold By Weight

National Jelly Bean Day is observed each year on April 22.

While candies made in a similar manner existed before the jelly bean, Boston confectioner William Schrafft made them popular during the Civil War.  With their firm exterior, jelly beans were the first candies to be sold by the pound. Schrafft encouraged his customers to send them to Union soldiers.

During the 1930’s, jelly beans became closely associated with the Easter holiday but are now enjoyed year round.  Jelly Beans were Ronald Reagan’s favorite treat.  

1. They were President Reagan’s favorite candy and he used them to help him quit smoking when he was the governor of California.
2. As part of his first inauguration in 1981, 7,000 pounds of jelly beans were ordered and distributed.
3. Each year in the U.S, there are 16 billion jelly beans manufactured just for Easter.  This is enough to circle the Earth more than 3 times if they were laid end to end.
4. They were the first candy to be sold by weight rather than by piece.
5. The first jelly bean was created by an unknown American candy maker in the 1800’s. An 1861 advertisement recommended sending jelly beans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War.
6. The original eight flavors of Jelly Belly beans introduced in 1976 were Very Cherry, Root Beer, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Green Apple, Lemon, Licorice and Grape.
7. They were originally sold by color and people would buy a bag of red or a bag of green.
8. It takes 7 to 21 days to make a jelly bean.
9. Each year in the U.S, there are 16 billion jelly beans manufactured just for Easter.  This is enough to circle the Earth more than 3 times if they were laid end to end.
10.  Jelly Belly jelly beans became the first jelly beans in space when they traveled aboard the 1983 Challenger Space Shuttle.
11. Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans from the Harry Potter books and movies are manufactured by Jelly Belly and include flavors like ear wax, pepper, avocado, marmalade and caviar.
12. JELLY BELLY’S FOUNDER IS FAMOUS FOR ANOTHER POPULAR CANDY. Jelly Belly jelly beans are a 20th century sweet, but they are tied to a much older candy company: the Goelitz Candy Company. Confectioner Gustav Goelitz began creating and selling candies in 1869, just a couple of years after moving to the U.S. from Germany. By 1894, Goelitz had passed the company on to his sons, and they soon released Chicken Feed buttercream candies—the popular treat we now call candy corn.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Foodimentary

Mobile-Cuisine

Mental Floss