The iconic jelly bean Jelly Belly is known for coming in rich and sometimes controversial flavors: Buttered Popcorn, Very Cherry, etc etc. The candy’s creator just added a new flavor to the jelly bean game: cannabis.
Well, not quite. But close enough.
David Klein, the inventor of the Jelly Belly, recently launched a line of CBD-infused candies with his company Spectrum Confections, according to USA Today. Klein invented Jelly Belly jelly beans in 1976 and sold the brand in 1980 for $4.8 million. The CBD brand is separate from the Jelly Belly empire.
“The jelly bean is perfect for the proper dosage [of CBD],” Klein told Cannabis Aficionado. Each bean contains 10mg of CBD, and they currently come in 38 flavors, including piña colada, strawberry shortcake, and toasted marshmallow.
He also said Spectrum Confections is “trying to make [the products] so that [they] can be as healthy as possible.” All the company’s jelly beans contain real fruit juice, and it also offers sugar-free versions for the saccharine-challenged.
At the moment, Spectrum only sells the CBD jelly beans in bulk orders of 800 packages. However, the wholesale requirement hasn’t dissuaded business, as the beans are now sold out. Klein said his company will re-up soon.
For almost half a century, jelly beans have been a fixture of popular culture. Ironically, President Ronald “Just Say No” Reagan claimed Jelly Belly-brand jelly beans helped him quit smoking tobacco. The former Commander-in-Chief even kept a jar of Jelly Bellies in the Oval Office to embellish visiting diplomats, advisors, and other world leaders.
Best-selling author JK Rowling incorporated Jelly Belly beans into the Harry Potter universe, too. The fictional magical version, called Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, became part of Jelly Belly’s official product line in 2015.
Will Klein’s newest CBD creation leave the same legacy?
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