Fairfield, California: Jelly Belly Factory Tour and Museum

This was a really great tour.

It's kind of funny because you are very much in the middle of an industrial park, where you wouldn't expect to find anything fun or magical, except for maybe these signposts along the way. Then you start getting more hints.

This is a real factory tour, so you will need to put on a hat or hair net, even though there are some pretty good distances between you and the product. Please put on your hat or hairnet.

The tour covers both the history of the company and the manufacturing process.

There are lots of fun things along the way. This included two interactive games where you can practice matching colors and sorting out the belly flops.

Also, in the factory tour, and other parts of the building, and in the museum, you get many examples of Jelly Belly art.

There was far too much Ronald Reagan in my opinion, but he was helpful for their product's fame.

Of course the beans are not the only company products, something easy to remember in the mold room.

The beans are the real stars, and their story is told through signs and videos while watching the creation.

The whole time there are colorful reminders of the fruit flavors, as well as a fruity smell that penetrates the KN95 mask.

There are also pipes of scent that you can smell and then guess the flavor, though you do need to remove the mask for this to get through.

So many jelly beans!

There was also a real sense of fun. You may think, it's a candy factory; how could it not be fun?

But it is more than that. There were Halloween decorations all over and a kids' fair that day, and perhaps because there were extra children, this smiley face going down the line.

As you finish the tour, the fun's not over.

Just across the parking lot is the museum. 

It would not be a bad walk, but you get to take the train!

The museum is not quite as magical (or sweet-smelling) as the factory, but you can see classic equipment and learn more about the company's brief ties to Portland.

There are also some fun vehicles.

As well as continuing with the Halloween fun, we also get to see some fun fashion.

There were more Jelly Belly portraits -- including some World Wildlife Fund ones -- but this was also where we got to see Jelly Belly sculpture.

This still does not take into account some of the commercial activities. Jelly Belly has regular activities, including tastings that pair wine with jelly beans.

You can find a schedule of Christmas activities at https://www.jellybelly.com/fairfield-events. 

There is a tourism center in the building, near the cafeteria. Speaking of which...

While they do not serve jelly beans, there are subtle reminders of the business theme, with the pizzas and hamburgers being vaguely jelly-bean shaped.

 The food was okay, but I really liked the souvenir cups.

But of course, the best souvenirs are the candy.

There are non-candy souvenirs too.

There is a chocolate shop.

That's all fine, but you will never find anywhere else such a selection of Jelly Bellies and Jelly Belly-themed merchandise, and that should be appreciated.

You can find individual bags of any flavor, or create your own mix, and with multiple options for doing so.

Why not just dive in?

COVID: Masks were not required, but I saw more employees masking than usual, and I see from the seasonal activities that their photos with Santa are contactless, and I appreciate that.

I suspect that to some extent their food handling/safety concerns have made them a little more aware of disease transmission. Social distancing was pretty easy.

Accessibility: There is an elevator, and wide corridors for walking. I believe I also saw a wheelchair accessible car on the train.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that all the videos on the tour had subtitles, though that is not well demonstrated by my photos. 

There are potential allergen issues, as they warn on the web site, though apparently not peanuts, just almonds and coconuts. (Packaged retail items may contain other nuts as well.)

The tours are multi-sensory, but also self-guided. I would say they are better than average, so it seems like calling with specific concerns would be well-handled.

https://www.jellybelly.com/california-factory-tours