How Jelly Belly is evolving their HQ with EV charging

Since 1898, Jelly Belly Candy Company (formerly Goelitz Candy Company) has been a staple for sweets in American households. They’ve been with us through twenty-two presidents, from McKinley to Biden—and were famously one POTUS’ snack-of-choice. As a result, Jelly Belly has learned a thing or two about keeping up with the times.

“When you read about all the new EVs coming to market, you realize there is so much opportunity. As a location looking to attract visitors, we see EV charging as a huge positive.” - John Jamison, Vice President of Retail Operations at Jelly Belly

At their global headquarters in Fairfield, CA, Jelly Belly welcomes over 300,000 guests a year coming to tour the factory. In recent years, they began to see a shift in how people were getting to their facility. “We had guests who would come with extension cords and they would plug their car into a lamp pole out in the parking lot. You start to think ‘what’s going on out there?’” said John.

That’s when EV charging truly popped up on their radar.

Creating the perfect visitor experience: from idea to installation

Just as John and his team started thinking about a solution for the growing number of visitors arriving in EVs, the stars aligned when EV Connect approached him with a golden opportunity—free EVBox BusinessLine stations.

With an industry-leading uptime (99.5%) and time-tested ease-of-use, EVBox BusinessLine provides commercial locations with reliable, accessible, and intelligent EV charging. Pair that with the top-tier charging management software from EV Connect and locations can publish their stations online to attract new business while remotely monitoring and optimizing their setup via their user-friendly platform (i.e., charging fees, energy use). And Jelly Belly got their entire project completed for free.

“They reached out and said California has this great program and we will come in and develop the space for you at no cost. We’ll put in the transformer, we’ll trench under the ground, we’ll run all the conduit, provide the equipment, and even set it up for future expansion.”

John leapt at this chance to turn Jelly Belly HQ into a premium EV charging destination, and is so glad that he did. “We’re actually ahead of the curve now thanks to EV Connect initiating the conversation and helping to drive this project.”

John was certainly impressed with the rebate funding secured through the California Energy Commission (CEC) grant to complete his EV charging project, but it was the dedication to excellent customer service that truly bolstered his confidence in working with EV Connect and EVBox.

“Everything was so turnkey. They took care of the electrician, the construction, everything, and left our lot in as good condition as they found it. They were so self-contained and worked so well independently. They just briefed us throughout the process, but that was it. It was really seamless.”

John was also amazed by the amount of support he received in configuring his EVBox stations for peak ROI. “Everything we’ve asked for, EV Connect has been very, very responsive. Helping us learn how to use the platform, pull performance data, set pricing—they made our lives so much easier.”

With their EVBox BusinessLine stations up and running on the EV Connect platform, John is confident that his team can keep these assets in prime working order and configured to match the needs of this evolving market.

“It’s so simple. It’s amazing how, from your computer, you can quickly adjust things like charging fees or energy distribution. The ease of use is everything we could have hoped for.

How Jelly Belly added EV charging into their sustainability goals

Like many businesses today, sustainability is a big part of the Jelly Belly mission. “If we can do things to improve the environment, we definitely want to do them.” says John. “In our factories, we recycle lots of starch and cardboard. There are water sensors throughout the campus anyplace we have planting or grass. But our biggest initiative was installing solar panels on multiple buildings, with all the power generated feeding into our corporate office and warehouse.”

And since their charging stations are connected to the same transformer as the solar panels, EV drivers using these stations during the day are filling their battery with 100% green energy.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to boost our sustainability, so being able to say that our EV stations are solar powered is great.”

What Jelly Belly would say about getting EV charging

As a business that proves the true impact of EV charging rebates, Jelly Belly kept their advice pretty straightforward.

“I don’t know why anyone would hesitate. If a similar opportunity presents itself, just do it. It’s not a decision that you will regret.”

And when asked about Jelly Belly’s plans for expanding their EV charging network in the future, John’s answer was crystal clear.

“We see the opportunity for expansion, and will definitely look in the next five to ten years. When we do, I certainly see an ongoing partnership together [with EV Connect and EVBox].”

*This success story and all its contents were developed from an interview conducted by EVBox and EV Connect with John Jamison (VP of Retail Operations, Jelly Belly). All information given is based on the professional experiences and opinions of those interviewed. All photos courtesy of the Jelly Belly Candy Company.