One of our neighbors, who lived directly across the street from us, was David Klein. Now, you may be asking, “David Klein… do I know him?” You may not know the name, but I’m willing to bet that you know
his creation… Jelly Belly Jelly Beans.

David was a corporate attorney, who gave it all up to pursue his dream of creating a “gourmet” jelly bean. When his confection was finally discovered, his wife invited the whole neighborhood over to their house to watch David make his national television debut on the Merv Griffin Show.

He made the Jelly Bellies in his home for quite some time thereafter, and every Halloween, we could always count on receiving the experimental flavors in our candy bags. Some flavors were decidedly adult (it would be many years before I figured out who Jack Daniels was and why anyone would name a jelly bean after him), some were awful, and some
were just downright bizarre. Eventually, everyone threatened to stop trick-or-treating at their house until they either gave us traditional candy, or were willing to hand over the good stuff, because nobody really liked peanut butter and hot sauceflavored jelly beans.

But through it all, I was always impressed by the fact that, despite his many failed flavors, he never allowed himself to be discouraged from exploring. Sure, he made flavor blunders, but look at what he ultimately created… a jelly bean empire! Unfortunately, when he sold the company a few years after it became a success, the history of the Jelly Belly was completely rewritten, eliminating David from
the candy’s rich history.

I had the extremely good fortune of reconnecting with David Klein and his family last summer, after a 30-year absence. The man who invented the Jelly Belly is still in the candy business—he now owns and operates the Sandy Candy factory in Govina, California, a company that came from the imagination of his daughter, Roxanne. I consider myself fortunate to have know David and his family and been in on the magical beginnings of little candy that became an enduring American icon.

Let's Make Music!
James Crowley