November 2008



Ronald Reagan Jelly Bean Art

Christian's most favorite thing on earth - CANDY... and Dylan's favorite - GUMMY BEARS!  So when we told the kids we were going on a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory, where they make jelly beans and gummy bears - they were thrilled! Daddy was a little torn because the Budweiser Factory Tour was going on across the street at the same time - but he was a good sport and joined us for the jelly beans. Unfortunately, it was Veteran's Day when we decided to take the tour and the place was mobbed with millions of people that had off from work and school. We decided to battle the crowds and stand in the lines anyway. When it was finally our turn for the tour, we were given paper hats to wear and escorted into the secret touring area. Our tour guide gave us a brief history of the Jelly Belly company and then showed us around the factory. We were behind glass on a second level that surrounded the factory floor. We were able to watch workers mix a batch of blueberry jelly beans in a huge vat. The amount of sugar that was being added to the mixture was ungodly.They had huge five gallon barrels and just kept dumping the sugar in by the shovel full. No wonder jelly beans are so yummy! We got to follow the whole process throughout the factory and see racks upon racks of jelly beans that were waiting to be packaged. It was a really cool tour. We were amazed to find the amount of time that goes into making one batch of jelly beans. There was also a really cool Wall of Art that showcased famous people depicted in jelly beans. Millions of jelly beans were used to create these masterpieces. We found out that Ronald Reagan was a HUGE jelly bean fan and even had a jar of jelly beans on the conference table with him at all times. He was said to always grab a handful before making a big decision. My kind of guy! Our favorite part of the tour was the sample bar. We were allowed to try any variety we wanted - I think we tried most of them. They even gave us recipes to mix and match jelly beans to make tasty concoctions. Christian loved the Root Beer Float mixture, while my favorite was the Cherry Turnover. Dylan got a kick out of the new line of jelly beans that are made in disgusting flavors such as vomit, pencil shavings and baby wipes. They look exactly like original flavors, but are made to fool the taste tester. We all had fun tricking Daddy into eating the ear wax jelly bean - GROSS!