Jelly Belly Brand Leaving Chicago
Jelly Belly brand jelly beans will soon no longer be made at the North Chicago factory where they've been produced since 1978.
The company said Monday that 70 jobs will be eliminated as it moves production of all Jelly Belly brand candy products to its headquarters in Fairfield, Calif. The factory will now produce private label food products, which it said “have reported double digit growth in recent years.” It will also do contract manufacturing.
Jelly Belly Candy Co., formerly known in North Chicago as Goelitz Confectionary Company, got its start with candy corn and has been making candy at the Illinois plant since 1913. The company is now headquartered in California and managed by fourth, fifth and sixth generations of the Goelitz family.
The Jelly Belly factory in North Chicago produced and shipped Jelly Belly jelly beans, Chocolate Malt Balls and the company’s legacy candy, candy corn.
The Jelly Belly was first created in 1976 and made here in 1978. The company changed its name to reflect the booming brand in 2001. The brand became wildly popular in part because former President Ronald Reagan was a big fan of the colorful beans, which were shipped directly to him from the Goelitz family for eight years of his presidency.
“Eliminating positions is a difficult decision to make,” Jelly Belly President Bob Simpson said in a statement. “This move to private label manufacturing is a forward thinking step for the best deployment of the Illinois facility and the company overall.”
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