Jelly Belly Factory Tour

 If you always look forward to Easter because you know that there will be lots of those delicious jelly beans, then you will be excited that at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California it is always the right time to grab a handful of these delicious little candy treats.  Jelly Belly is known for making highly flavorful jelly beans in a wide variety of flavors.  Some like very cherry, you can never get enough of.  While others like buttered popcorn, you will always find me sorting these out and throwing them in the trash.  If you want to go extreme then take your chances with some of the flavors from the Harry Potter collection.  I have been done eating buggers for a while and don't need a jelly bean tasting like that or ear wax.

The Jelly Belly factory tour is a self-guided walking tour through the upper-level balcony above the production floor.  The tour costs $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children.  Kids under 2 are free.  After paying at the front desk, getting your paper jelly belly cap, and a sample bag of jelly beans; you head upstairs to start the tour.

The tour starts with a photo opportunity with the Very Cherry Jelly Bean for the whole family.  The tour then follows a 1/4 mile path through the factory where videos along the way describe the process that is be completed below.  It is amazing to see how big this factory is, and they are cranking out millions of little candies about the size of the tip of your pinkie finger.  The videos are interesting and remind me of an episode of one of my favorite shows on the Food Network, Unwrapped.

Below you will see the beans being worked on during each step of the process.  You will see them get the shinny coating, be mixed into different flavor groups, and then make their way into the packaging and shipping area.  The whole process is fun to see.

Along the way, you will get to see some of the amazing Jelly Belly art that has been created over the years using the jelly bean as the medium by the artist.  Jelly beans have been glued on a backing board to create images of Presidents like the jelly bean loving Ronald Regan, celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, and a variety of Star Wars characters including Yoda.

As you complete the walking tour you can see your picture that was taken at the beginning, and then head through another gallery of Jelly Bellyinspired art. 

Then it is down to the gift shop where you can pick up a wide array of gifts and treats celebrating the Jelly Belly.  You can pick up small packs of carefully curated varieties of beans like the soda pop series or the mixed cocktail series.  If there is a single flavor that you crave then you are also in luck because you can buy bags billed with a special flavor for you.  Need a candy machine to dispense the beans at home, you can pick those up here too, or maybe a t-shirt from your visit.

As far as factory tours this self-guided tour is pretty typical of what you would expect.  It is fun to see the flavorful candies being made, and even more fun to get to eat some after your tour.  There was no line or wait when we visited.  Parking is free with plenty of spots available during our visit. This is a definite plus if you have kids in the car with you, but was worthwhile as an adult as well.