Shaolinwind
2nd Black Belt
Ok, well I've been a tour guide at the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, CA for a couple months. I know more about jelly beans than the Easter Bunny. Ask me anything! I got all the facts & figures =)
Jelly Bellies - Ask me anything
- Thread starter Shaolinwind
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How many flavors are there?
I've wondered if the specialty jelly beans for the Harry Potter empire were made at Jelly Belly and failed to notice the label on the last package I bought ... oh ... three years ago.
So does JB make HP's Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? Such as Booger and Vomit?
So does JB make HP's Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? Such as Booger and Vomit?
Why don't they put more black ones in the packages? I love the black ones.
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Shaolinwind
2nd Black Belt
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- #6
Hand Sword said:
49 originals, 5 rookie flavors.
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Shaolinwind
2nd Black Belt
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- #7
Lisa said:
They tend to put quite a few, since the licorice are actually the 3rd most popular flavor. However your chances of getting a lot of anything in a less than 2 lb bag are slim. They mix up batches of several hundered pounds, then just package them. With that many flavors left up to chaos to decide your bag content, it may always seem you get too little of the flavor you want. The 2 oz bags are the worst because there's a chance you'll only have as little as 20 of 49 flavors.
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Shaolinwind
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- #8
shesulsa said:I've wondered if the specialty jelly beans for the Harry Potter empire were made at Jelly Belly and failed to notice the label on the last package I bought ... oh ... three years ago.
So does JB make HP's Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? Such as Booger and Vomit?
That is correct. We make the Bertie Bott's beans here in fairfield. They make them on 2nd shift because they stink up the place big time.
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Shaolinwind
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- #9
Carol Kaur said:
Yes. We have many of the flavors in individual packages. However, most candy stores carry our flavors in bulk, and Costco also carries Jelly Bellies. I think we only have the top 20 in individual 5oz bags.
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Shaolinwind
2nd Black Belt
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- #11
Ping898 said:
Real pureed pear. Natural pear flavor! Every flavor has a natural ingredient, except for the ones that are intrinsically non-natural, such as bubble gum or cotton candy. Real cherry in the Very Cherry, Real bananna in the Top Bananna, and real Ape in the Apricot.
So... umm... just whose Boogers and Vomit do they based the flavors on? and who's the poor schumck(s) that has to test them out?Shaolinwind said:
Oh and please, PLEASE don't tell me they (the Bertie Botts) have flavors based on human waste products? :barf:
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Shaolinwind
2nd Black Belt
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- #13
MA-Caver said:
No, we don't have a poo flavor. That's just too sick. In general, they made a bunch of nasty flavors and picked what the names should be. And no one ate earwax, but they smelled it, and as olfactories work the smell is very similar to the flavor.
The vomit, that was actually an attempt to make Pepperoni Pizza flavor. They used salted pork flavors with cheese, and it tasted like vomit so much, the name stuck.
We do use real sardines in the Sardine flavor, and real pepper in Black Pepper. However, earthworms are not used, nor is dirt. We use lemongrass for Grass, and the rest are just artificial flavors. I kinda like the pepper and the soap.
Anytime someone comes to the sample bar (I work as a tour guide, the rest of the time I meander around doing "customer service" and work the sample bar) and they even mention the Bertie Botts, I whip out the nastiest flavor (rotten egg, made with real sulfer) and laughingly DEMAND they try it. "Personal Policy" I say, "you have to eat it". I'll eat one with them to encourage it. They giggle like children and stuff it in their face, usually to spit it out. I laugh heartily. It's so much fun, and they often buy them (at 12 bucks a pound) as pranks for their friends.
Well remember to credit COURAGE as the one that put it in there... (giggles)Shaolinwind said:
Glad to hear that they didn't take the EVERY-FLAVOR seriously... I'm sure even those in the wizarding world of RK Rowling aren't that sick minded... except of course maybe the Death-eaters... :erg:
I saw a program on discovery channel.. or was it food channel.. that the guy went around to various places to show how this and that was made and he toured the Jelly Belly factory... was neat watching how ya'll do it. Must be a fun job...
Is beer included? If so what brand? Coors? Budweiser? Betcha they'd pay a pretty penny to be the one represented... heh.
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Shaolinwind
2nd Black Belt
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- #16
Mega fun. Not to mention I get to flirt with all the local California hotties. Hey baby, come hang out with me. I got Jelly beans.
By the way, we also have another program coming out on the National Geographic channel. I might be in that one.
You know we are about a half mile from the budweiser plant, where they also have a free tour AND free beer samples. I've had more than one person come right from there and ask if we had a beer flavor, since we do already have Strawberry Daiquiri, Margerita, and Pina Colada. Alas, we do not, though I think we should.
Actually I had this great idea for a line of liquor based flavors suited to an adult pallete. Rum, Gin, Whiskey, Lager Beer, Tomato, Green Olive, Sweet Onion, Champagne, Tabasco, and Cola. I'm still trying to come up with others. They would have less sugar with the intent of creating a more "dry" bean. I'd like to see them packaged together, in a slick velvet black and gold foil box, along with other flavors that would mix well such as Cherry, lemon, and black pepper. Imagine, Cherry + Cola + Rum (or whiskey) for a Rum & Cola, Gin + Olive + Champagne for a martini, Whiskey and Lemon for a whiskey sour, Champagne could serve as the vodka along with tomato, olive, onion, pepper, and tobasco for a bloody mary, and so on and so forth.
Shaolinwind said:Mega fun. Not to mention I get to flirt with all the local California hotties. Hey baby, come hang out with me. I got Jelly beans.
By the way, we also have another program coming out on the National Geographic channel. I might be in that one.
You know we are about a half mile from the budweiser plant, where they also have a free tour AND free beer samples. I've had more than one person come right from there and ask if we had a beer flavor, since we do already have Strawberry Daiquiri, Margerita, and Pina Colada. Alas, we do not, though I think we should.
Actually I had this great idea for a line of liquor based flavors suited to an adult pallete. Rum, Gin, Whiskey, Lager Beer, Tomato, Green Olive, Sweet Onion, Champagne, Tabasco, and Cola. I'm still trying to come up with others. They would have less sugar with the intent of creating a more "dry" bean. I'd like to see them packaged together, in a slick velvet black and gold foil box, along with other flavors that would mix well such as Cherry, lemon, and black pepper. Imagine, Cherry + Cola + Rum (or whiskey) for a Rum & Cola, Gin + Olive + Champagne for a martini, Whiskey and Lemon for a whiskey sour, Champagne could serve as the vodka along with tomato, olive, onion, pepper, and tobasco for a bloody mary, and so on and so forth.
Initially you say you're a tour guide at Jelly Belly... but the (above) seems to indicate a position more geared to the decision making process of the product line... Or is it the type of company that (actually) listens to their employee's suggestions and takes them to heart ... if so it's an extremely RARE company indeed.
Yes having a line more geared to the adult palate probably would be a popular item. Imagine Jelly Bellys as one of the staples at cocktail parties along with after dinner mints and so on. Why, the possibilites are endless wouldn't you say?
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Shaolinwind
2nd Black Belt
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- #19
Ceicei said:
1. Very Cherry
2. Buttered Popcorn
3. Licorice
4. Tangerine
5. Juicy Pear
People tend to buy about 1 - 2 lbs, and typically in bulk. The 12oz 49 flavors blend is popular. They recently discontinued Tabasco, Chocolate Cherry Cake, and Honey Biscuit.
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Shaolinwind
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- #20
I'm just a simple tour guide, I just have lots of good ideas. I'd love to pitch them to Herm, but I'm not going to send them a letter, because what's to stop them from stealing my ideas and not credit me? Nah.. This one stays with me.
The company doesn't even promote from within.. We have people who were there 15 years who are now.. Assistant Manager. They then bring in some arrogant, uppity prick who didn't hear about the management paradigm of the 90's, straight out of college to run the whole place and make idiot decisions like arranging the candy store so that all you see is damn shirts, and I have to take people by the hand to help them find the jordan almonds.
We actually already have a mint mix, wintermint, spearmint and peppermint.
