Some of us are old enough to remember President Reagan’s jellybean affinity. He was known for many things, but often the 40th president would pass around jellybeans at every meeting, gift a jar to foreign ambassadors and dignitaries, and share the sweet with his staff.
The origin of Reagan’s jellybean habit was inspired and began before he ran for governor of California in 1966. During that time, he was attempting to quit smoking a pipe. He took up eating jellybeans as a replacement. His favorite at the time was “Goelitz Mini Jelly Beans.” The company would send a monthly shipment to the Governor’s Office throughout Reagan’s two terms as governor. They even made a custom-designed jellybean jar for Reagan. Soon jellybeans quickly became synonymous with President Reagan.
In 1976, the company’s jellybeans became the Jelly Belly® brand. He allowed the company to create candy jars with the presidential seal. He often handed out the jellybean jars to officials. You can still buy the jar today from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Museum Store. See the link below.