Jelly Belly is trying to shed its image as a novelty candy company and reposition itself as a gourmet brand for what it calls “social epicureans.” The shift comes a year after confectioner Ferrara acquired the company in 2023, and it involves a new marketing campaign, a pared-down flavor lineup, and a push into big-box retail chains like Walmart, Target, and Costco.
The brand launched in 1976 with eight core flavors. Over the decades, it became famous for stunts like the “Bean Boozled” game and a line of Harry Potter-inspired beans with flavors like Vomit and Rotten Egg. That era is over.
“What we know is that everything old is new again,” said Lauren Holtz Pezza, Jelly Belly’s global marketing director at Ferrara. “When we acquired Jelly Belly, we saw an opportunity to reinvest in this beloved, American brand, bring back its visibility and growth, and modernize it for today’s younger consumers.”
The new campaign is called “Bean Appetit,” developed by Minneapolis agency Mono. It includes two 15-second TV spots focused on the Very Cherry and Strawberry Jam flavors, showing people transported into a flavor-filled world. Social video spots will highlight Juicy Pear, Watermelon, and Buttered Popcorn. One ad shows a man opening a popcorn box only to find it full of jelly beans.
“Bean Appetit is really about reframing Jelly Belly from just being candy, or just jelly beans or just Easter candy, to a more gourmet flavor experience that can be consumed at any time of the year, across multiple occasions,” Pezza said. “It’s also just a fun pun. It’s short and sweet and really memorable.”
The company is also rolling out a national shopper marketing program with in-store tastings. A revamped website will feature signature pairings designed to evoke other foods — cherry and buttered popcorn to mimic cherry pie, for example. Consumers can submit their own pairings for a chance to be featured on the brand’s social channels.
Pezza described the target audience as “social epicureans.” These are people who like to host and cook for friends. “Their love language is to host a party or cook dinner for their friends.”
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Influencer outreach is a major part of the plan. The brand is sending kits designed to resemble a caviar tasting experience, complete with curated flavors, sleek serveware, and colorful tea towels. The goal is to position the candy as something to be savored, not just eaten out of a bag.
“It’s a way to bring Jelly Belly back into today’s culture,” Pezza said. “We live in a creator-led culture right now, and [engaging influencers] is how you appeal to consumers, particularly younger consumers.”
The strategy is backed by data. Executives mined billions of social media conversations and found that consumers were picking around flavors they did not like to find the ones they did. That research led the company to trim its primary offerings into focused collections.
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The Signature 10 Collection and Signature 20 Collection focus on fruit flavors. Other themed collections include Endless Summer, Farmstand Fruit, and Tropical Paradise. The pared-down approach is designed to fit the limited shelf space available at major retailers.
“The footprint that we need to create is more in your national chain markets and mainstream retail,” Pezza said. “They only allow so much shelf space, and you need to make sure that your best curated types of collections that consumers really want are there.”
The company will still sell in specialty candy stores, but the growth plan clearly depends on winning space in mass market aisles. Whether the “social epicurean” pitch will stick with younger shoppers remains to be seen, but the strategy marks a clear break from the brand’s gimmick-heavy past.