Chocolate - History Of Hershey
In this article we're going to review of brief history of one of
the largest manufacturers of chocolate in the world, Hershey.
The Hershey company itself started with a decision that its
founder, Milton Hershey, made in 1894 to produce sweet chocolate
as a coating for his caramels, Milton's first business. He set
up his new shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and called the
company the Hershey Chocolate Company. By 1900, only six years
after its chocolate covered caramels first hit the scene,
Hershey was producing milk chocolate in bars, wafers and other
shapes. Because of the Industrial Revolution and mass producing
methods, Hershey was able to lower the cost of his products and
thus make what was once an item only for the rich, something
that everyone could enjoy.
Because of the company's immediate and overwhelming success,
Milton decided to greatly increase his production facilities. So
he decided to build a new production facility in south-central
Pennsylvania, in Derry Township, where he was born. This
facility was in an excellent location as it was close to the
ports of New York and Philadelphia where he could easily get his
supply of sugar and cocoa beans. It was also surrounded by dairy
farms so he was able to get all the milk he needed. Add to that
a location where there were plenty of people eager to go to work
and everything couldn't be more perfect. By the summer of 1905
the factory was in full production manufacturing their milk
chocolate.
In 1907, Hershey decided to expand his product line and came out
with the ever popular Hershey's Kisses. At first they were
individually hand wrapped in foil but in 1921 when the wrapping
machine was invented this process was greatly speeded up. This
process was also used to add that "plume" at the top of the Kiss
that we come to expect. As a matter of fact, in 1924 the company
actually had the Hershey Kiss trademarked.
Over the next twenty years a number of other very popular
products were introduced such as Mr. Goodbar in 1925, Hershey's
Syrup in 1926, chocolate chips in 1928, and the Krackel bar in
1938. In spite of the great depression of the 1930s these new
products helped Hershey maintain its profitability and avoid
having to lay people off.
Hershey helped the war effort during World War II. For starters,
a number of new products were introduced and an old company had
been acquired by the name of H.B. Reese of the famed Reese's
Peanut Butter Cups. Hershey ended up making the chocolate
coating for those cups and a perfect marriage was made. In 1963,
seven years after Reese's death, the company was sold to
Hershey.
Over the years since, Hershey has grown considerably. Today,
they are the leading manufacturer of chocolate and chocolate
products. Their products are exported to over 90 countries. They
have over 13,700 employees worldwide and have net sales of more
than $4 billion annually. And in all this time they have never
deviated from the values established by the man who started it
all.