Knowing your niche and servicing it well has been the key to export success for the Jelly Bean Factory, a business established in 1998 by father and son team Peter and Richard Cullen.
The Jelly Bean Factory is now Europe’s leading producer of gourmet jelly beans, producing around 12 million jelly beans daily in 36 different flavours, ranging from passion fruit to piña colada and from liquorice to cinnamon, in various innovative packs. All the jelly beans are gelatin, gluten, GMO and nut-free, Kosher certified and Halal compliant.
With a turnover of €12 million, the company exports more than 98 per cent of its production to 55 export markets around the globe. The Jelly Bean Factory is the fastest-growing brand of gourmet jelly beans in leading confectionery markets such as the UK. Its major export market is the UK, with 45 per cent of exports. Other prominent markets are the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Poland, the Nordic countries, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Indonesia, Singapore etc. Sales and brand are growing year on year across most markets.
The firm now employs a staff of 72 at a 115,000sq ft facility in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, that has been extended three times in recent years.
“Having a product with a long shelf life has been one of the key advantages for us in growing export markets,” says Richard Cullen (above). “However, it’s not simply a case of pushing the product out the door and then hoping for the best. In our experience, it’s vital to maintain a very hands-on approach in each of the markets in which you operate.”