President Reagan & Jelly Beans

The inspiration for President Reagan’s habit began just before he ran for governor of California in 1966. The future president was trying to quit smoking, and he took up eating jelly beans as a substitute. His attempt at giving up pipe smoking was successful, and jelly beans quickly became synonymous with the 40th president.

Jelly Belly: Reagan's Favorite Candy Company

Later, while in the White House, President Reagan kept a standing order for 720 bags of jelly beans from his favorite company, Jelly Belly. At his inauguration in 1981, President Reagan ordered three and a half tons of patriotic red, white, and blue beans to commemorate the event. Jelly Belly even created a special new blue flavor—blueberry—to round out the patriotic trio of Very Cherry and Coconut. Forty years later, blueberry remains among the most popular types of beans.

Jelly Beans in Political Meetings

Throughout his political career, President Reagan continued to serve his beloved jelly beans at cabinet meetings, social events, and even important meetings with dignitaries from around the world. Photographs exist of the President meeting with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over a jar of American jelly beans. President Reagan joked that you could tell a lot about a person from how they ate their jelly beans, so he always kept a jar handy.

You can tell a lot about a fellows character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful.

The jelly bean President Reagan preferred, however, was a legend itself. When he first began eating jelly beans, they were larger confections than the modern bean, with flavoring in the outside shell. The inside of the beans were an unflavored sugary filling. At a 1966 campaign event, however, the future president was told about a new, more flavorful type of jelly bean.

The Jelly Belly Company, then known as Goerlitz Candy, was selling a small jelly bean that was flavored inside and out. President Reagan tried a few and was instantly hooked. Jelly Belly began shipping regular orders to then-Governor Reagan’s office, a tradition that would continue throughout the President’s political career. He allowed the company to create candy jars with the presidential seal on them, and handed out the jelly bean jars to officials.

President Reagan is credited for massively expanding the popularity of his favorite jelly bean brand—when word got out that Jelly Belly was the president’s preferred candy, orders skyrocketed, and the small company found itself 77 weeks behind on orders.

Even today, the company keeps President Reagan memorabilia around their factory, including portraits of the fortieth president and the First Lady done in jelly beans.