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Jelly Belly sweetens the deal with premium chocolate

When it comes to candy, Jelly Belly has been there done that. To keep things fresh, this brand, which is known for its flavorful jelly beans, is branching out of its niche and introducing gourmet chocolate truffles and chocolate bars.

This September, the family-owned candy maker launched milk chocolate truffles that are individually wrapped and filled with nine classic Jelly Belly flavors: chocolate, orange, Very Cherry, coconut, strawberry cheesecake, mint, French vanilla, lemon meringue pie and blueberry. The chocolate bars come with centers filled with mint and Very Cherry flavors.

Fall marks the beginning of the traditional candy season where shoppers gear up for the sweets-fueled holidays. However, this year, the prognosis for candy and chocolate is looking sweeter than usual. Chocolate sales spike 17.9% and non-chocolate rose 13.5% between March 15 and Aug. 9 of this year, according to data from the National Confectioners Association. A large part of this swell in demand is due to the pandemic which propelled more than half of consumers to admit to eating less healthy as of June, according to the annual Food & Health Survey from the International Food Information Council.

If this trend holds, Jelly Belly is in for a merry season. The candy maker is known primarily for its fruit-flavored candy and gummies, but the company has also previously dabbled in chocolate. In 2011, it first released chocolate-dipped jelly beans. But it was its foray into a Harry Potter-themed line of treats that it really was able to exercise its expertise in chocolate. While the line began with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, it expanded to include Chocolate Frogs, chocolate wands and a chocolatey golden snitch, which appeared this August.

Having a stake in both chocolate and candy will be a boon to the company, especially as it is one that has been a familiar sight in the U.S. for generations. Nostalgia in food has been a growing trend in the last several years, but it was kicked into high gear during the pandemic as consumers searched for comfort and familiarity in their dietary choices. Mondelez International reported that sales on its e-commerce platform were driven by consumers gravitating to classic brands.

This newest release from Jelly Belly places the company in an ideal position to ride this wave and take advantage of the rise in candy purchases as well as the upcoming surge in sales that results from holidays like Halloween.