You may think it is odd that I am featuring Jelly Belly beans today, but for me they are sort of a nostalgic item. Jelly Belly beans were perhaps the first "gourmet" product we ever brought into Cascio's. When Don and I bought the store in 1986, more standard grocery items lined the shelves. We even stocked....gasp....cigarets! Yep, cigarets. Isn't that weird. Can you imagine buying a head of lettuce and a pack of smokes? I couldn't either. Was the first product we got rid of and I have never regretted it a second. To me they just didn't fit in.
Ronald Regan first made Jelly Belly beans popular. He was reported to have kept them in the Oval Office. Regan was a big bean fan. Donald and I went on a road trip to Viriginia one weekend and I found the beans in a small gourmet food store. I thought they were cool, and thought it was fun to feed them to Don and have him guess the flavor. We laughed over flavors like buttered popcorn and cantaloupe. Yes, that is exactly what they tasted like too.
We came home from that trip and I had my empty packaging and I called up the Jelly Belly company and opened an account. That was probably 23 years ago and we still stock them today. They get a big surge in popularity over Easter, of course, but the 20 flavor or 40 flavor gift boxes make excellent grab bag gifts and teacher presents. Affordable and fun is the best way to describe the product.
If you have not tried these beans, we have the Jelly Belly twists at the counter. Individually wrapped beans ready for you to sample them and yep, they truly are the last penny candy in the world today. Try one. You won't be disappointed.
No comments:
Post a Comment