Jelly Belly inventor creates Willy Wonka inspired treasure hunt with a huge reward

The lucky winner will be the keys to the "Candyman Kitchens" in Florida. Photo / 123rf

The man who helped name arguably the world's most famous jelly beans has announced he'll be channelling his inner Willy Wonka with a treasure hunt that will see one lucky winner walk away with keys to their own lolly factory.

David Klein, who helped invent Jelly Belly jelly beans, has kicked off the competition – which unfortunately for New Zealanders, can only be entered by those in the US.

His riff on the golden ticket in Roald Dahl's beloved children's book-turned-movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will see people searching for Gold Ticket necklaces hidden at a number of locations throughout America's states.

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Happy National Candy Month! ✨ Guess what we’re celebrating with this month 😋 #jellybelly #jellybellybeans #jellybeans #candy #nationalcandymonth

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"You will be looking for a Gold Ticket in the form of a necklace with a tag that includes a code you need to use to verify your find," the game's rules state, adding that winners will receive $5000.

"All Treasure Hunt players will be eligible to join in on The Ultimate Treasure Hunt where I give away one of my candy factories."

Klein, who no longer owns the trademark for Jelly Belly, announced the contest in a video message online, saying the big winner will walk away with the key to one of his "Candyman Kitchens" in Florida.

Asked by ABC7 News what had motivated him to launch the competition, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic, Klein said that it was just what the world needed.

"The world needs this right now, we have received thousands of comments from people who say this has come at such a perfect time," he said.

The promise of an entire lolly factory does come at a price, however, with anyone wanting to participate needing to pay approximately $70 to receive their state's riddle.

Each treasure hunt also a "strict limit" of 1000 participants, with a game location and start date. Registered players will be signed up to a private Facebook group where a clue will be posted.

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Let's test your Jelly Belly knowledge! Do you know the answer? #jellybelly #trivia

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The winners must submit the gold ticket code by email with the location where it was found.

Anyone planning to enter should be aware that the competition is not linked to the Jelly Belly Candy Company, which said in a statement to ABC News it wanted to "clear up the misconception that it is involved with a contest that purportedly offers a candy factory as its grand prize".

"David Klein, the sponsor of the 'treasure hunt' contest gaining attention within the media this weekend, is not associated with Jelly Belly Candy Company, its brands, or products," a spokeswoman told the publication.

"In 1967, Mr Klein, an independent third party, came up with the name 'Jelly Belly' and other novel marketing ideas. Jelly Belly Candy Company has not had a relationship with Mr Klein since 1980 when it acquired the trademark."