Jelly Belly HQ to Cut Water 29%

Jelly Belly Candy Company, the manufacturer of gourmet jelly beans, expects to reduce outdoor water use at its headquarters by 29 percent with the installation of the WeatherTRAK Smart Water Management Solution from HydroPoint.

Company executives partnered with ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance to replace outdated irrigation clocks with WeatherTRAK irrigation controllers at the 35-acre, Fairfield, Calif., campus, which includes corporate headquarters, manufacturing, warehousing and a public tour center.

These new technologies help preserve both natural water resources and a pleasantly landscaped campus, which consists of five and a half acres of green space with turf, trees and shrubs, the company said.

Over half a million visitors tour Jelly Belly’s facility each year.

HydroPoint says the system provides grounds crews with 24/7 visibility and remote control access to irrigation schedules and water use via the newly released WeatherTRAK.net 7.0 Central Internet Management Application. Daily evapotranspiration (ET) data is transmitted to the WeatherTRAK controllers, updating the automated watering schedules as local weather conditions change. Plants receive precise amounts of water only when they need it, the system maker says.

WeatherTRAK technology eliminates over-watering as well as costly water run-off, hardscape repairs and liabilities, HydroPoint says. It can also automate irrigation to run after business hours so Mr. Jelly Belly and the 30-foot inflatable Jelly Belly mascots can greet visitors without fear of being sprayed.