The Founder Of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Is Doing A Nationwide Treasure Hunt Before He Retires And Whoever Finds The Golden Ticket Wins A Key To The Jelly Belly Factory

Delish- The founder of Jelly Belly is hosting a series of cash prize treasure hunts around the country before his retirement. Anyone that participates will then be eligible to search for the ultimate treasure, which is a key to one of his candy factories.

David Klein founded Jelly Belly in 1976, and wants to spread the fruits of his labor around before he retires for good. To do so, he'll be hiding a golden ticket (in the form of a necklace) in each state. Those who wish to get involved just need to pay an entry fee of $49.99 to get access to their state's clue.

On TheGoldTicket.com you can enter for your state and see what day the riddle will be released. The clue will help lead you to the gold ticket and if you happen to find one you have to submit its corresponding code and where you found it to TrickyTreasures@gmail.com. Once it's verified, you'll be rewarded $5,000.

It's the grand prize that people will want to stick around for, as David Klein is pulling a full Willy Wonka and giving away one of his factories. Anyone who participates—not just the winners—will have the chance to find the ultimate treasure. Whoever wins this portion will get the key to one of David Klein's candy factories and an all-expenses paid trip and education to a candy-making university.

Willy Wonka, eat your fictional heart out! 

I always thought Jelly Belly was the closest thing the real world had to the Wonka Candy Company. I still remember the first time I tasted a Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly that tasted more like buttered popcorn than a giant $10 bucket from the local AMC. Same with flavors like toasted marshmallow, root beer, cotton candy, and pretty much everything else in the Jelly Belly catalog that seems like it was created with some sort of black magic, not to mention the combination recipes that blew my mind every single time.

I realize that submitting your code to a Gmail address seems sketchy, the key you "win" may come with a factory that includes a crushing amount of debt along with old jellybean making equipment not fit for a low carb world and this may not be who we had in mind as the real life Willy Wonka.

But if you introduce yourself as The Candyman while wearing a cowboy hat of your signature candy, you are the real life Wonka in my eyes unless some dude named Willy creates a candy that is not only a three course meal that solves world hunger. Plus tell me that man doesn't look like someone with a horde of Oompa Loompas living in servitude in his basement. 

It may take a chunk of money and a whole bunch of time to play this contest. But considering my kids have been stuck in the house for 6+ months without any end in sight, money and time are two things I actually have for once in parenthood and considering my dream has been to be the real life Golden Ticket winner without being a poor weirdo like Charlie Bucket that had four grandparents sleeping in the same bed since I read the book as a 2nd grader, I can't think of a better way to spend those two precious resources.