Robert Chesebrough Vaseline. In 1875, he founded the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company that in 1955 became Chesebrough-Ponds, a leading manufacturer of personal-care products. Chesebrough patented the process of making petroleum jelly (U.S. Patent 127,568) in 1872. By 1874, stores were selling over 1400 jars of Vaseline a day. Chesebrough's success stemmed from firm belief in his product. Before he began selling petroleum jelly, he tested it on his own cuts and burns. Chesebrough was still unable to sell any to drug stores until he travelled around New York demonstrating his miracle product. In front of an audience, he would burn his skin with
Jelly Belly passing around a jar of jelly beans. We owe you a special measure of thanks for helping keep our state government running smoothly." In 1976, David Klein, a candy and nut distributor, collaborated with Herman Rowland to create a jelly bean using natural purees. Using the Mini Jelly Bean concept, the Jelly Belly jelly bean was created. Klein coined the name "Jelly Belly" as a tribute to blues musician Lead Belly, and was responsible for the design of the product's famous red and yellow trademark. Klein sold the first Jelly Belly jelly beans in 1976 at an ice cream parlor