Hershey's Chocolates

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and sugar confectionery products. With revenues of nearly $5 billion and almost 13,000 employees worldwide, The Hershey Company markets such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers. Hershey is the leader in the fast-growing dark and premium chocolate segment, with such brands as Hershey's Bliss, Hershey’s Special Dark, Hershey’s Extra Dark and Cacao Reserve by Hershey’s. Hershey’s Ice Breakers franchise delivers refreshment across a variety of mint and gum flavors and formats. Hershey's partnership with Starbucks offers a premium chocolate experience that combines the highest-quality chocolate with Starbucks coffee-house flavors, for a range of delicious and distinct chocolate products. In addition, Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company, markets such premium chocolate offerings as Scharffen Berger, known for its high-cacao dark chocolate products, Joseph Schmidt, recognized for its fine, handcrafted chocolate gifts, and Dagoba, known for its high-quality natural and organic chocolate bars.

The story of Hershey is a captivating tale, spanning nearly a century and a half of industrial and social change. It tells of how one determined pioneer from rural Pennsylvania built an international company, a town to go with it, and a chocolate and confectionery sensation.

Milton S. Hershey
Raised in rural central Pennsylvania, hampered by the lack of a formal education and nearly bankrupt by the time he was 30, Milton S. Hershey went on to become not only one of America's wealthiest individuals, but also a successful entrepreneur whose products are known the world over, a visionary builder of the town which bears his name and a philanthropist whose open-hearted generosity continues to touch the lives of thousands.

The Company
The company we know today started life as a small subsidiary of Milton Hershey's Lancaster Caramel Company. Using chocolate-making equipment purchased at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the company produced baking chocolate, cocoa and sweet chocolate coatings for the parent company's caramels.

Through unceasing technological modernization, strategically astute acquisitions and continued new product development, The Hershey Company has grown spectacularly. Today, The Hershey Company is a leading snack food company and the largest North American manufacturer of chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products, as well as chocolate-related grocery products. Outside of the US and Canada, the company exports its products to over 90 countries worldwide.

The Chocolate
After building his own milk-processing plant and working day and night for 3 years, Milton Hershey became the first American to develop a formula for manufacturing milk chocolate. It was affordable, tasted good and remained fresh for a long time. No wonder it was an immediate sensation!