Andrew Maas found the “golden ticket” in Jelly Belly creator David Klein’s scavenger hunt in Kokomo’s Highland Park last month.

On Aug. 29, he walked into the park and dug up the ticket hidden beneath the Vermont Covered Bridge.

And with that, he became the new owner of a 4,000-square-foot candy factory in Florida.

The find was the culmination of a year-long, nationwide, Willy Wonka-inspired treasure hunt that had 35,000 people solving riddles and then scouring the country for golden tickets hidden in every state.

But the final ticket for the ultimate candy factory prize lay quietly underground in Highland Park.