The Hershey Company facts for kids
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![]() The original Hershey's factory in 1976
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Trade name
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Hershey's |
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Formerly
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Public | |
Traded as | |
ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=US4278661081 US4278661081] |
Industry | Confectionery |
Predecessor | Lancaster Caramel Company |
Founded | February 8, 1894Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (as Hershey Chocolate Company) in
Founder | Milton S. Hershey |
Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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19 plants (2022) |
Area served
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Worldwide |
Key people
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Brands | List of the Hershey Company brands |
Revenue | ![]() |
Operating income
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Total assets | ![]() |
Total equity | ![]() |
Owner | Hershey Trust Company (minority owner but owns the majority of the voting stock) |
Number of employees
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18,540 (2024) |
The Hershey Company, often called Hershey or Hershey's, is a big American company that makes candy. Its main office is in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This town is also home to Hersheypark and Hershey's Chocolate World. Hershey is one of the largest chocolate makers in the world. They also make baked goods like cookies and cakes. Plus, they sell drinks like milkshakes and other products.
Milton S. Hershey started The Hershey Company in 1894. It was first called the Hershey Chocolate Company. It began as a part of his Lancaster Caramel Company. The Hershey Trust Company owns a small part of the company. However, they have most of the voting power.
Hershey's chocolate is sold in 60 countries. The company has three large distribution centers. These centers use modern systems to manage workers. Hershey is also a member of the World Cocoa Foundation. They are connected to the Hersheypark Stadium and the Giant Center.
The Hershey Company is not connected to the Hershey Creamery Company. Both companies started in the same year in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They have had some disagreements over their names. In the 1990s, they settled their legal issues. The Hershey Creamery Company agreed to say on its ice cream products that it is not linked to The Hershey Company.
Contents
The History of Hershey's Chocolate
How Hershey's Began in the 1800s

Milton S. Hershey learned how to make candy in 1873. He then opened a candy shop in Philadelphia. This business did not do well. He tried again in Chicago and then in New York City, but those also failed.
After these tries, Hershey went back to Pennsylvania. In 1883, he started the Lancaster Caramel Company. The Hershey Chocolate Company began in 1894. It was a smaller company under his caramel business.
In 1896, Hershey built a plant to process milk. He wanted to make a special recipe for milk chocolate. By 1899, he created the "Hershey process." This way of making chocolate was easier than old methods. In 1900, he started making the famous Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar.
Growing in the 1900s
Using fresh milk in caramels was a big success. In 1900, Hershey sold his caramel company for $1,000,000. This money would be worth much more today. He decided to focus only on chocolate. He believed chocolate was a lasting product, not just a passing trend.
In 1903, Hershey started building a chocolate factory. It was in his hometown, Derry Church, Pennsylvania. This town later became known as Hershey, Pennsylvania. The town was a good place for workers to live. The factory had no windows so workers would not get distracted. To keep workers happy, Hershey offered fun activities. This led to the creation of Hersheypark. The milk chocolate bars from this factory became very popular. The company grew quickly.
In 1907, Hershey introduced a new candy. These were small, flat-bottomed, cone-shaped chocolates. He called them Hershey's Kiss. At first, each Kiss was wrapped by hand in foil. In 1921, machines started wrapping them. This made the process faster. A small paper ribbon was added to the top. This showed it was a real Hershey product. Today, over 70 million Kisses are made every day!
Other popular products were also introduced. These include Mr. Goodbar (peanuts in milk chocolate) in 1925. Hershey's Syrup came out in 1926. Semi-sweet chocolate chips were made in 1928. The Krackel bar, with crispy rice, was introduced in 1938.
Milton Hershey School
Milton S. Hershey and his wife could not have children. So, in 1909, Milton Hershey started the Hershey Industrial School. It was for orphaned boys. In 1918, he gave about $90 million to the school. He also gave 40% of the Hershey Company's stock. The school first taught young men trades. Later, it focused on preparing them for college. The Hershey Trust Company has managed the school since it started.
Many buildings at the school look like Hershey chocolate products. For example, the street lights look like Hershey Kisses. Milton Hershey was involved with the school until he passed away in 1945. The school was renamed the Milton Hershey School in 1951.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Harry Burnett Reese created Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. He started the H. B. Reese Candy Company in 1923. Reese passed away in 1956. He left his company to his six sons.
In 1963, the H. B. Reese Candy Company joined with the Hershey Chocolate Corporation. Just six years later, in 1969, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups became Hershey's best-selling candy. By 2012, Reese's was the top-selling candy in the United States. It was also the fourth best-selling candy worldwide.
Workers and the Union
In the late 1930s, workers at Hershey's wanted to form a union. A union helps workers get fair pay and good working conditions. In 1937, a strike happened, but it ended with some fighting. By 1940, workers successfully formed a union. This union, Local Chapter Number 464, still represents Hershey's workers today.
Hershey's Soap Venture
From about 1938 to 1952, Milton Hershey tried making toilet soap. This was a popular product after the Great Depression. He also tried other hygiene items like shampoo and perfume. Hershey opened a shop in Atlantic City that sold cocoa butter-scented soap. The shop was successful for many years. Other soaps were sold there too. By 1953, the products were sold in many cities. Then, the shop closed.
M&M's and Other Candies
Before World War II, a deal was made to create a new chocolate candy. It would have a hard sugar coating. This candy was called M&M's. It used Hershey chocolate during the war when food was rationed. Later, the other company bought out Hershey's share.
Kit Kat and Rolo
In 1969, Hershey got permission to make and sell Kit Kat and Rolo in the United States. These candies were originally from a UK company. Even when another company bought the UK company, Hershey still had the right to make these candies in the U.S. This agreement is still in place today.
Cadbury Chocolates
In 1988, Hershey's gained the rights to make and sell many Cadbury products in the United States. This did not include gum and mints. In 2015, Hershey's took legal action to stop other companies from bringing British Cadbury chocolate into the U.S. This made some customers upset.
Hershey's in the 2000s
In 2002, the Hershey Trust Company thought about selling its part of Hershey Foods Corporation. The company's stock value went up a lot that day. But many people, including the media and local officials, did not want the company to be sold. So, the plan to sell was stopped. Some of the people on the Hershey Trust board were replaced. The new chairman promised that the Trust would always own the Hershey Company.
In 2004, Hershey bought the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp..
In 2005, Hershey bought Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker. This company made special chocolates. In the same year, Hershey bought Joseph Schmidt Confections, another chocolate maker. In 2006, they bought Dagoba Organic Chocolate.
In 2006, some Hershey chocolate products were changed. They used vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter. This was done to lower costs. Some people said the taste was different. The company said that in taste tests, many people liked the new versions. Because of this change, the products were called "chocolate candy" instead of "milk chocolate."
In 2011, Hershey agreed to buy Brookside Foods Ltd. This was a candy company in Canada. In 2016, Hershey bought barkTHINS, a company that makes chocolate snacks.
In 2017, Hershey bought Amplify Snack Brands. This company makes SkinnyPop popcorn. In 2018, Hershey bought Pirate Brands. These purchases showed Hershey was making more than just candy.
In 2019, Hershey bought One Brands LLC, which makes protein bars. Also in 2019, Hershey worked with Yuengling to make a special chocolate beer. In 2021, Hershey bought Lily's. In November 2021, Hershey announced plans to buy Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels.
In 2023, Hershey started making plant-based chocolate. These snacks are called Plant Based Extra Creamy and Plant Based Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
In August 2025, Mark Tanner from The Wendy's Company will become the new CEO of Hershey.
Hershey's Brands
Hershey's makes many kinds of chocolate and candy. They also make gum and salty snacks. Their main markets are the U.S. and Canada.
The Hershey Company often adds new ingredients to its products. They have also added snacks like Pirate's Booty, Skinny Pop, and Dots Pretzels to their list of products.
Understanding Customers
The Hershey Company studies what its customers want and need. They look at how people buy things in stores. They use something called the "Hershey Intelligence Engine." This helps them understand what customers like.
Hershey's Factories
The first Hershey factory outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania, opened in 1963. It was in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada. Another factory opened in 1965 in Oakdale, California. In 2007, Hershey announced these plants would close in 2008. New facilities were built, partly in Monterrey, Mexico. The Oakdale factory closed in February 2008. A Hershey chocolate factory in São Roque, Brazil, opened in 2002. Hershey's products in Asia were mostly made at their plant in Mandideep, India.
Hershey also has factories in Stuarts Draft, Virginia, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Memphis, Tennessee, Robinson, Illinois, and Guadalajara, Mexico.
Visitors can go to Hershey's Chocolate World in Pennsylvania. There, they can take a fun tour ride. Public tours used to be given at the factories. But they stopped in Pennsylvania in 1973 when Chocolate World opened. They stopped in California after the September 11, 2001, events for safety reasons.
In 2012, Hershey opened a new, bigger West Hershey plant. This plant cost $300 million to build.
In 2018, Hershey started to make its Kit Kat factory bigger in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania. This project cost $60 million and created 111 new jobs.
In 2023, Hershey bought back its plant in Smiths Falls, Ontario, for $53 million.
How Hershey's Tastes Around the World
Some people outside the U.S. find Hershey's chocolate tastes different. This is because of a special ingredient called butyric acid. It is used in the way Hershey's makes its chocolate. This taste is not common in chocolates from other parts of the world.
Images for kids
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A Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkin split in half
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PayDay Peanut Caramel Bar
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Mini Almond Joy chocolate
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Chinese Cookies 'n' Creme tub
More Information
- Our History | HERSHEY'S
- History | The Hotel Hershey
- Official Hershey's chocolate and candy site: https://www.hersheyland.com/home
See also
In Spanish: Hershey's para niños
- List of the Hershey Company brands
- List of food companies
- Pennsylvania chocolate workers' strike, 1937