It started off as a popular range of jelly bean-shaped candy in the United States, and now Jelly Belly is making cars and boat cabins smell sweeter.

The intense, fruity flavours of Jelly Belly jelly beans have been captured in a range of air fresheners that have gone on sale in New Zealand.

“They’ve become the world’s number one gourmet jelly bean and their flavours are instantly recognisable,” says Tim Paterson, national sales manager, Griffiths Equipment, which distributes Jelly Belly in-car air fresheners in New Zealand.

“The makers have been able to take the ingredients used in the jelly beans and transfer the intensity of the tastes into scents that can be used in air fresheners.

“They really work. The Jelly Belly air fresheners smell just like the jelly bean flavours you buy at the confectionary counter. Jelly Belly has always strived for perfection with its products, regardless of the cost of the ingredients used, and you can certainly tell the difference with its range of air fresheners, compared to some others on the market.”

Originally created in the 1970s, Jelly Belly jelly beans famously won the approval of US president Ronald Reagan, who kept them in the Oval Office, on Air Force One and even made sure they were on the table at meetings with world leaders. Jelly Belly jelly beans have even made it into space, on the NASA space shuttle in 1983, when astronauts were seen trying to grab weightless spinning beans in their mouths.

In addition to capturing the flavour of Jelly Belly, the new air freshener range has also been designed to look like a jelly bean, as well as reflecting their intense colour combinations.

There are two types of Jelly Belly air fresheners available; a 3D design that incorporates a hook to hang it and a paper-type with an elastic cord to hang it.

A wide range of scents are available in the new Jelly Belly air freshener range, including Bubble Gum, Tangerine, Blueberry, Cherry and Green Apple. They are designed to provide a long-lasting fragrance.

Tim Paterson says that in addition to freshening the inside of a car, Jelly Belly scents are ideal for combating stale odours inside boat cabins that are often locked up for long periods, workshops and even around the home or office.

The Jelly Belly air freshener range is now available from automotive outlets throughout New Zealand.