The first phase of an ambitious plan of expansion for the makers of Jelly Belly® jelly beans is scheduled for Wednesday, July 12 at noon when Goelitz Confectionery Co. of North Chicago, Ill., breaks ground on a new 230,000 square foot distribution and retail visitor center in LakeView Corporate Park, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
The facility will provide warehouse and office space for the company’s distribution to retailers throughout the Midwest and east coast of more than 150 gourmet candies, including the legendary Jelly Belly jelly beans. The company also plans to include as part of the facility a 3500 square foot retail outlet where hungry fans of their dreamy sweets can get their fill and take a tour.
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Approximately 60 employees are expected to staff the facility, most of them moving to the new facility from either the North Chicago, Ill., headquarters or the company’s Waukegan offices.
Construction will begin immediately, and the company reports the facility is scheduled to open in April 2001. Initially the distribution center will not require space in the entire building and approximately 100,000 square feet will be leased for dry storage.
The candy company ultimately plans to add 220,000 square feet to the 50-acre site for a manufacturing facility. Company executives anticipate expanding the public tours to include the manufacturing area once it is built, as they have done in California. The Fairfield, Calif., headquarters are expected to attract a half million visitors this year, and the Wisconsin site will become a tourist attraction as well.
The new Goelitz Confectionery Co. distribution center is located in LakeView Corporate Park off Interstate 94 in the Village of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, just across the Wisconsin Illinois border near Kenosha. The candy company site is located at the corner of Lakeview Parkway and Green Bay Road, a major highway connecting Milwaukee and Chicago.
“We wanted to go where there were wide open spaces and room to grow. The state of Wisconsin and the Kenosha area government made a concerted effort in helping us choose this site. We’re looking forward to the future development of the property,” said Herman G. Rowland, chairman of the board and fourth generation candymaker.
Goelitz Confectionery Co. is a family owned and operated company now in its fourth generation of candymaking. It was founded in 1898 and has been making candy in North Chicago, Ill., since 1912. The firm makes Jelly Belly jelly beans and a wide range of Goelitz Confections®, including Candy Corn, chocolate covered candies, wild gummies, and confections for all the seasons. The company is part of the Herman Goelitz Candy Co., Fairfield, Calif., the corporate headquarters.
