Robbers strike jelly bean plant

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two armed men have robbed the Jelly Belly factory north of San Francisco, making off with cash but none of the jelly beans that were a favourite of the late President Reagan, officials say.


Two masked men entered the factory after the close of business on Tuesday as staff were counting the takings from the visitors centre. They fled with an undisclosed amount of money but no sweets.


"It happened after hours, number one, so no visitors were put in any danger and no one was hurt here," company president Robert Simpson told Reuters by telephone on Thursday. "The outcome was as good as we could have hoped for in circumstances like that."


Jelly Belly, which says it is the largest U.S. maker of jelly beans, gained much publicity from Reagan who kept a jar of the company's jelly beans in his office.