Jelly Belly enters soft seltzer category

American confectionary brand Jelly Belly has entered the soft seltzer category with a new range of sparkling waters inspired by some of its most popular jelly bean flavours.

Jelly Belly Sparkling Water comes in eight different flavours

As reported by Today.com, the Jelly Belly Sparkling Water range was launched by the Joffer Beverage Company this week, a business formed by family members of the California-based Jelly Belly Candy Company.

The zero calorie sparkling waters come in an assortment of popular Jelly Belly flavours, including orange sherbet, Piña Colada, ‘very cherry’, tangerine, vanilla and watermelon.

The sugar free drinks are made with carbonated water and natural flavouring. The inspiration for the range came about during a family gathering last year.

“We were on the patio drinking popular sparkling water brands, when I said, ‘If only someone could nail a sparkling water with really stand-out flavours,’” said Stephen Joffer, a sixth-generation member of the Jelly Belly family.

“The lightbulb came on when my dad suggested, ‘Why not our own Jelly Belly flavours? We are known for rich flavors after all,’” he added.

Soon after, the Joffer family founded the Joffer Beverage Company.

The 12-ounce cans of Jelly Belly Sparkling Water will retail for around US$5 each at grocery stores across the US and on the Jelly Belly website.

While the range does not include alcohol, the hard seltzer category continues to grow in the US, and is predicted to be worth US$2.5 billion by 2021.

Jelly Belly jelly beans were first developed in 1965 by sweet scion Herman Goelitz, and were innovative at the time for having flavoured centres.

One of the first high profile fans of the sweets was American president Ronald Reagan, who developed a Jelly Belly habit after quitting smoking.