Ferrara Reaches Agreement to Acquire Jelly Belly

Oct. 18, 2023

Long-storied, family-owned candy companies will come together under the Ferrara umbrella, with transaction expected to close by the end of 2023.

Andy Hanacek

Ferrara Candy Co. plans to acquire Jelly Belly Candy Co., according to an announcement shared today by Ferrara. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The proposed acquisition would bring Jelly Belly’s more than 100 flavors of jelly beans and gourmet specialty confections into Ferrara’s portfolio of sugar candies. The release notes that Ferrara plans to bring on board nearly 800 global Jelly Belly employees and the company’s facilities in California, Illinois and Thailand. Current Jelly Belly executive vice president of Global Operations and Distribution, Jeff Brown, will become the chief executive officer of Jelly Belly.

Jelly Belly was founded in Illinois in 1869 and has been family-owned and -operated all the way through the sixth generation of the Rowland family. The signature Jelly Belly jelly beans were introduced in 1976, and today, the company distributes its products in more than 60 countries across five continents and has a strong track record of sustained and profitable growth.

Ferrara has its own long-tenured, private-ownership history, having been headquartered in Chicago for more than 115 years, producing well-known brands such as Nerds, SweeTarts and Trolli, among others. Ferrara is a Ferrero related company.

The transaction — which is being executed through Ferrara’s lead holding company, CTH Invest — is expected to close by the end of 2023 and is subject to certain closing conditions.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.