IRVINE, Calif. -- Leaf Brands LLC, manufacturers of Astro Pops, Yummers!, Farts Candy and David's Signature Beyond Gourmet Jelly Beans, has appointed Garvey Nut & Candy, the Pico Rivera, Calif.-based manufacturer and distributor for nuts and candies, for their initial product launches.
A major West Coast distributor, Garvey Nut & Candy warehouses more than 14,000 candy items, as well as nuts, dried fruit and trail mixes.
"We decided to give Garvey Nut & Candy many of our new products to distribute exclusively for their initial releases because we loved the way they take care of their customers. They're an honest bunch and we firmly believe they will do an excellent job with our products," said Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Leaf Brands.
Garvey Nut & Candy was established in 1985 after original Jelly Belly inventor David Klein, the namesake behind David's Signature Beyond Gourmet Jelly Beans, sold the company to current CEO Steve Corri for $1.
Garvey Nut & Candy will be the first company in the nation to distribute the re-release of Astro Pops when they come out shortly," Kassoff added. Astro Pops are scheduled to launch January 2012.
Orders have already been placed for David's Signature 'Beyond Gourmet' Jelly Beans, said the company. This gourmet jelly bean line is the re-emergence of a jelly bean product line for David Klein, whose "bittersweet" relationship with his iconic candy invention is chronicled in the award-winning documentary, Candyman: The David Klein Story. A previous contract with The Jelly Belly Co. forbade Klein to launch a jelly bean for the last 20 years.
In conjunction with Leaf Brands, Klein is debuting what Leaf brands called "the most exclusive line of jelly beans in the world"--David's Signature 'Beyond Gourmet' Jelly Beans. His first products are two "carefully chosen, hand-picked" collections: David's Master Selection and the 'Sweet, Salty, Savory & Hot' Collection; 19 bulk flavors, in such exotic flavors such as wasabi, Thai chili, chipotle, Himalayan sea salt, ginger and pomegranate are now available in select specialty stores.
Another item available for bulk ordering through Garvey Nut & Candy is Farts Candy. Available in 1.25-ounce individual packs as well as in bulk, Farts Candy comes in 16 flavors including Pina Colada, Sour Watermelon, Sour Apple, Root Beer, Grape, Strawberry and Blue Raspberry.
"Our partnership with Garvey Nut & Candy will facilitate the candy launches and retailer relationships. We look forward to seeing our products in the marketplace with relative ease," said Kassoff.
The original Leaf Brands were started in the 1920s. It brought candy classics such as Whoppers and Jolly Rancher to the marketplace. Members of the Leaf family have assembled together once again to revive the Leaf name and its image after the U.S. division was sold to The Hershey Corp. in 1996 and left the United States.
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