The Hershey Company
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The Hershey Company (NYSE: [HSY]
Hershey's is one of the oldest chocolate companies in the United States, and an American icon for its chocolate bar. Today, The Hershey Company owns many other candy companies and is also affiliated with Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company, which runs Hersheypark, a chocolate-themed amusement park; the Hershey Bears hockey team; HersheyPark Stadium; and the GIANT Center.
History
After completing an apprenticeship to a confectioner in 1876, Milton Snavely Hershey founded a candy shop in Philadelphia which failed six years later.[Reference For Business.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006. After trying unsuccessfully to manufacture candy in New York, Hershey returned to Pennsylvania, where he founded the Lancaster Caramel Company, whose use of fresh milk in caramels proved successful.[Reference For Business.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006. In 1900, Hershey sold his caramel company for $1,000,000[Reference For Business.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006. (about $22,000,000 in today's currency) and began to concentrate on chocolate manufacturing.[Reference For Business.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006.In 1903, Hershey began construction of a chocolate plant in what became Hershey, Pennsylvania.[Reference For Business.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006. The milk chocolate bars manufactured at this plant proved successful, and the company grew rapidly thereafter.
In 1907 Hershey introduced the small flat bottomed conical shaped pieces of chocolate which Mr. Hershey would name "Hershey's Kisses". While initially they were individually wrapped by hand with squares of foil, in 1921 machine wrapping was introduced and added the small paper ribbon to the top of the package indicating that it was a genuine Hershey product.[Reference For Business.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006. The product was trademarked three years later and went on to become one of the most successful and well known products ever produced by the company. Other products introduced include MR. Goodbar (1925), Hershey’s Syrup (1926), chocolate chips (1928), and the Krackel bar (1938).
In 1940, over two years after the defeat of the CIO union, an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor successfully organized Hershey's workers under the leadership of John Shearer, who became the local's first president. Currently, Local 464 of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers represents the Hershey workers, and although it calls itself the "Chocolate Workers," it has successfully organized local workers in other industries.
The first plant outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania was opened on June 15, 1963 in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada.[Hershey's Canada (collections.ic.gc.ca)] URL last accessed June 30, 2006. Another plant, that covers two million square feet of manufacturing space (185000 square meters), is the largest chocolate factory in the world;[Surfnetkids.com/chocfactory.htm] URL last accessed July 3, 2006. the factory was opened on May 22, 1965 in Oakdale, California.[Herhsey's.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006. These are the major factories for Hershey's, as tours are offered in the Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada plant. Tours were operated for the Pennsylvanian factory, but this no longer the case.[Herhsey's.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006.
Hershey's chocolate is available over the United States, due to their wide network of distribution.[Fool.com]. URL last accessed July 3, 2006. They have three mega distribution centers, with modern technology and labor management systems.[The Logistics Intitute # Chris Malon, Hershey Foods] URL last accessed July 3, 2006.
Chocolate
Today, most of Hershey's chocolate products are not made using traditional European recipes, but instead use less cocoa and a higher incorporation of sugar. It is also notable that while Hershey's products are sold in a number of European countries, they do not dominate any of the European markets.
In 1988, Hershey's acquired the rights to manufacture and distribute many Cadbury-branded products in the United States. The Cadbury creme eggs sold in the United States, however, are imported by Hershey directly from Cadbury in the United Kingdom.[Typetive review] URL last accessed June 30, 2006.
In July 2005, Hershey's announced that they would be acquiring the Berkeley, California-based boutique chocolate-maker Scharffen Berger.[Sfgate.com] URL last accessed June 30, 2006.
See also
References
External links
| Confectionery products of The Hershey Company | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate-based | |||
| 5th Avenue | Almond Joy | Bar None (discontinued) | Cherry Blossom | Glosette (Canada only) | Heath bar | Hershey bar | Hershey's Kiss | Hershey's Kissables | Hershey's Bar None | Hershey's Cookies and Cream | Hershey's Pops | Hershey's S'mores | Kit Kat | Krackel | Milk Duds | Mounds | Mr. Goodbar | Oh Henry! (Canada only) | PayDay Chocolate (Limited Edition) | Rolo | Reese's Fast Break | Reese's Peanut Butter Cup | Reese's Pieces | ReeseSticks | Skor | Take 5 (Also known as Max 5) | Whoppers | York Peppermint Pattie | |||
| Non-Chocolate | |||
| Bubble Yum > Ice Breakers | Jolly Rancher | Koolerz | PayDay | ZAGNUT | |||
| Other | |||
| Good & Plenty > Snack Barz | Swoops | Twizzlers | Whatchamacallit | |||
| Hershey also manufactures Cadbury-branded products in the US and military chocolate for the US armed forces | |||
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