David Klein is the developer of the

Jelly Belly Jelly Belly Candy Company, formerly known as Herman Goelitz Candy Company and Goelitz Confectionery Company, is an American company that manufactures Jelly Belly jelly beans and other candy. The company is based in Fairfield, California, with ...

brand of

jelly beans Jelly beans are small bean shaped sugar candies with soft candy shells and thick gel interiors (see gelatin and jelly). The confection is primarily made of sugar and sold in a wide variety of colors and flavors. History It has been claimed ...

Early life

Klein was born in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

in 1946. He moved to California at the age of three. Klein eventually attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

where he studied economics. Klein then went on to obtain a law degree from

Southwestern Law School Southwestern Law School is a private law school in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an art deco National Register ...

, but after taking the bar exam decided not to pursue a career as a lawyer.

Career

In 1976, Klein lived in

Temple City Temple City, officially the City of Temple City, is a city in Los Angeles County, California located northeast of downtown Los Angeles and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Pasadena, ...

and started the distribution company, Garvey Nut. He came up with the idea for a new type of jelly bean—later called "Jelly Belly"—and asked

The Herman Goelitz Candy Company Jelly Belly Candy Company, formerly known as Herman Goelitz Candy Company and Goelitz Confectionery Company, is an American company that manufactures Jelly Belly jelly beans and other candy. The company is based in Fairfield, California, with ...

to make a batch for him. Klein then rented a corner of Fosselman's Ice Cream in

Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from " Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains t ...

to sell the new type of jelly beans. The first flavors were Very Cherry, Tangerine, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape Jelly, Licorice, Root Beer, and Cream Soda. Total sales for the first seven-day period was $44. The product was selling for $2 per pound, which was considered a very high price at the time. Klein convinced the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

to write a story, arranging for friends and family to act as customers. The article caused sales to spike. In 1980, Klein and his partner sold their interest in the Jelly Belly to The Herman Goelitz Candy Company, for $5 million, to be paid out over 20 years. Klein and his partner each received about $10,000 per month for 20 years, in exchange for their share of the Jelly Belly brand, including the trademark of that name.

Personal life

Klein's wife, Rebecca, who died in 2020, worked with him in their confectionery development business,

Can You Imagine That Confections Can You Imagine That Confections is a candy manufacturer based in Covina, California Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Val ...

Inc.; his daughter, Roxanne, who studied business at the

University of La Verne The University of La Verne (ULV) is a private university in La Verne, California. Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, College o ...

, also contributes to the business, such as coming up with the concept of 'Sandy Candy', which by October 2011 had made $1 million. The company operates from a factory in California. In 2017 David Klein moved operations of Can You Imagine That and his new branded company Candyman Kitchens to Florida. They produce Sandy Candy as well as other new confections out of their factory in Largo, Florida.

Projects

In 2016 he launched a crowdfunding support page for 'THE ORIGINAL COFFEE HOUSE BEANS.' The combination of flavors delivers a taste mimicking gourmet coffee flavors. On its

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

page, it is described as "a conventional jelly bean center texture surrounded by the most imaginative flavors on the outside of the bean." In 2019, he created a campaign for Polar Popcorn - described as "A Freeze and Eat Treat™ made up of puffy popcorn kernels coated in caramel and ice cream/birthday cake flavor; topped with sprinkles".

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, David Year of birth missing (living people) University of California, Los Angeles alumni Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York Living people People from the San Gabriel Valley American Jews