A question food processors need to answer when contemplating a plant expansion is, how will they fill production schedules with the added capacity? The fallback is particularly important when the processor's brand is susceptible to big swings in demand. That describes Jelly Belly Candy Co., the Fairfield, Calif.-based confectioner that rocketed to fame in the 1980s thanks to the unsolicited endorsement of President Ronald Reagan, who kept the beans on his desk and gave visiting dignitaries a jar as a token.
展开▼
