“Fairfield has what food companies need—available land, transportation access, water resources and quality of life for our workers.”
-- Robert Simpson, President of Jelly Belly Candy Company

Background
The Jelly Belly Candy Company, makers of the famous Jelly Belly jelly bean that was Ronald Reagan’s favorite candy and went into outer space on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983, is headquartered in Fairfield, CA.  The flavorful Jelly Belly is the world’s number one gourmet jelly bean, and is made in 50 flavors ranging from blueberry and cantaloupe to pina colada and tutti-fruitti.

Jelly Belly is a private, family-owned and operated company dating back to 1869, when two young brothers began making candy in Belleville, Ill. Today, the great-grandchildren of the candy-making ancestors are carrying on the sweet tradition at One Jelly Belly Lane in Fairfield’s Solano Business Park.

Fairfield Offers Room for Expansion
Twenty-two years ago the Jelly Belly Candy Company had outgrown its Oakland, CA site and chose to move to Fairfield, because it offered room to expand, easy access, and excellent water resources. At first the company had one building of approximately 100,000 square feet. Today, it has an entire campus with five buildings in Solano Business Park, and approximately 400 employees. A giant Mr. Jelly Belly figure is a Fairfield icon, greeting drivers when they enter the city on Interstate 80. Four million tourists have gone on the daily tours offered at the facility, which was named "Best Factory Tour in America" in a 2005 Reader's Digest article.

The Future
While Fairfield headquarters will continue to meet demand for much of the 34 million pounds of candy it makes annually, the company will soon open a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Rayong, Thailand to handle international production to supply customers in 43 countries outside the U.S.  It’s a very sweet deal for the Fairfield company with the most multi-flavored jelly bean ever created.