Yeah. About that. It seems that there is more to this than was originally reported. Actually, there's really a lot less, now that I think about it.

Let me start by quoting what I wrote yesterday:

The founder of Jelly Belly jellybeans is about to retire, but before he does, he's launching a golden ticket treasure hunt in every state.

Just like the premise in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the golden ticket's grand prize is ownership of a candy factory.

The founder of Jelly Belly, David Klein, made the announcement in an online video, promising that the winner will be handed the keys to their very own candy factory, and he's also throwing in thousands of dollars in prizes.

Since that post (and thousands like it around the world) went online, the actual company that makes Jelly Belly jelly beans has felt the need to clarify a couple of things about this story as they try to put some serious distance between themselves and David Klein.

I guess that once they started fielding tons of phone calls from folks who were confident that they'd soon be the new owner of a Jelly Belly jelly bean factory, the higher-ups at Jelly Belly wanted to get some information out to the public.

From a Jelly Belly Candy Company press release:

Due to confusion in the marketplace, Jelly Belly Candy Company would like to take this opportunity to clear up the misconception that it is involved with a contest that purportedly offers a candy factory as its grand prize. In 1976, Mr. Klein, an independent third party, came up with the name ‘Jelly Belly’ and other novel marketing ideas. Jelly Belly Candy Company has not had a relationship with Mr. Klein since 1980 when it acquired the trademark.

So, it turns out that David Klein is not the founder of Jelly Belly Candy company, but rather a guy who came up with the name and some ways to market the company's products. And, he sold his stake in the company 40 years ago. His current candy company is named Spectrum Confections. Jelly Belly says its company dates back to 1869 when it was known as the Herman Goelitz Candy Company.

The winner of his contest will not be winning a Jelly Belly Candy Company factory. And, no one seems to know for sure where the candy factory that he's promised to give away is located, but some guesses point to Florida.

Here's more:

 

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