Beer beans?! TGIF!

Oh for hype’s sake… 

That’s right; the same brilliant minds that brought us the cult-favorite buttered popcorn jellybean have something new on tap!

Official Draft Beer Bean launch page

Years in the making, Jelly Belly is confident they got the formula right – pure hefeweizen ale goodness! (Sounds a bit too yeasty for me, but then again, I’m not a big beer guy).

But why make a candy that tastes like hops and wheat?

Why make candy that tastes like popcorn?

It’s for the mystique and awe! To spike intrigue (read: business and sales).

The market for jellied beans has got to be, what? 40-50 years beyond mature?

To carve out new business, you’ve got to churn out nodes of differentiation!

I used to manage a Yankee Candle store. Every time we received new fragrances, it was the same old thing with slight variations. Macintosh Apple….now, with peach! How about a “Just Because We Can” line? A candle that smells like gasoline!? Sure, no one would want to take it home and burn it (flammable?!) – but it would foster intrigue! It would get more people (*new people) into stores, hungry for a whiff. Turn those drifters into new sales, and the hype has done its job.

Kids are gonna think they’re so cool, chomping on beer beans. And actually, ‘Draft Beer’ is late to the (adult) party! Other mixed-drink faves like Mai Tai and Pina Colada were perfected by Jelly Belly in the 80s.

So give Draft Beer a try! I know I’ll be eying the shelves for its arrival.

*Just remember, "beer before liquor, never sicker!" – pop your beans in the right order.

Happy Friday!
-DS :)