Jelly Belly founder is giving away a candy factory in ‘Golden Ticket’ treasure hunt

For relentlessly practical viewers of the classic 1971 adaptation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, one question consistently prevents them from enjoying the film to the full. Namely, even if you believe that a successful business owner could get away with having an indentured Oompa Loompa workforce and attempting to murder children, why would he just give his empire away to a stranger? 

However, capitalists who find this concept too farfetched to fully get on board with now have a real-life example of candy industry altruism to persuade them otherwise. 

In a surprising and exciting move, the founder of world-famous sweet brand Jelly Belly has announced to the world that he will be giving away the keys to his candy kingdom. Unusually though, this accession won’t be conducted on the stock market. Instead, would-be inheritors will have the opportunity to take part in a real-life Golden Ticket treasure hunt to claim the exciting prize. 

To take part in the contest, competitors must visit The Gold Ticket website and pay a $50 fee for a ticket. Tickets are available in each of America’s 50 states, though there are only 1,000 tickets per state.

Check out this footage of how Gummy Candy is really made:

Anyone who buys a ticket will then receive a riddle, leading them on a hunt to find a gold-coloured dog tag worth $5,000. Anyone who buys one of the original $50 will also be in with a chance to win the factory. 

The fairytale-like contest has been thought up by Jelly Belly founder and candy innovator David Klein, who has made his name with wacky contributions to the industry like “candy sand”. 

Although the factory itself is not affiliated with Jelly Belly – as Klein sold his stake many years ago – it remains a very real opportunity for anyone with a sweet tooth to enter the world of business. 

In a press release provided to the public, Klein revealed:

“With The Gold Ticket Treasure hunt, our goal is to get people out and about with their families. Grandma and Grandpa can even join with the kids and grandkids. Take videos of your treasure hunt experiences for possible inclusion in our upcoming series.”

Let the games begin!