The American Dream

What makes Hershey's so popular? A food that was once a luxury to the wealthy is now devoured world-wide . Hershey's Chocolate is an obsession among many, in moderation of course. The story behind The Hershey Company's creation and development demonstrates one man's American dream. The saying "you learn from your mistakes" became reality for Milton S. Hershey. He tried several times to run a successful candy company but failure approached each time. Each time he failed he learned how to fix his mistakes and today all the hard work has paid off. Today, The Hershey Chocolate Company has a variety of products that are found across the globe. Hershey's chocolate is an American belief in which dreams come true and the traditional name brand that has been around for over 100 years that still prospers to this day. The Hershey Company has proven to produce its products with the same quality over the decades.

Hershey History

The Hershey Chocolate Corporation originated in 1894 by candy-manufacturer Milton S. Hershey. With his decision to produce sweet chocolate as a coating for his caramels, the idea soon spread to a world-wide treat found in many homes. The Hershey Company is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania home to the largest chocolate factory in the world. To start off, in 1907 the company began producing a flat-bottomed, cone-shaped milk chocolate candy called HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolate. Mr. Hershey did this in hopes of expanding the company that took many years to create. As years went by, the company changed its name to Hershey Foods Corporation in 1968 by offering confectionery products but also other food products. Today, The Hershey Company is the leading North American manufacturer of chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery and grocery products (Company History). Milton S. Hershey is known all over the world for being a wealthy individual but also a successful entrepreneur with very popular chocolate products. With many name changes throughout the decades, The Hershey Chocolate Corporation has evolved into The Hershey Company but still produces the same delicious chocolate that is found all over the world.

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey’s Chocolate is found everywhere across the globe, but there is only one place where the chocolate calls home -- Hershey, Pennsylvania. Since Milton S. Hershey established the town, it has become a popular destination among vacationing tourists and business prospects with its wide variety of attractions. Selecting a site for his chocolate plant was not difficult. Milton Hershey chose the rural area of Derry Township in south-central Pennsylvania because it was the center of the state’s dairy farming country. The town of Hershey has grown immensely over the years. Today, the town consists of an amusement park, a convention hall, a community building, a swimming pool, schools, and a department store. The town screams Hershey’s Chocolate from the kiss-shaped light posts to the Hershey’s Chocolate World with a million of activities for everyone. The Hershey Company has set up stores across America and also across the world with operations in more than 90 different countries. Hershey maintains licensing agreements with partners in nations such as South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan. Hershey store locations can be found in Times Square, Chicago, Shanghai and Smiths Falls just to name a few. The company has grown to maintain 13,700 employees and has a net sale of around $4 billion (Company History). Since Hershey mass produced his chocolate, it allowed for his products to be available to everyone world-wide instead of delicious chocolate just being a luxury of the wealthy.

“Company History.” Hershey. The Hershey Company, 14 July 2009. Web. 12 May 2010. .

Chocolate Making Process

The main ingredients in chocolate are chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and milk. Chocolate making is a very extensive and thoughtful process, especially to those producing Hershey’s Chocolate. The process begins in jungles from Brazil to the Ivory Coast with Cacao trees which grow melon-like fruit harvested by hand. Inside each pod are about 20-40 seeds called cocoa beans that give chocolate its special flavor. The beans go through a process called fermentation for about a week where the shells harden and the rich flavor develops. After they are shipped from surrounding countries and sorted, cocoa beans are roasted in large roasters at very high temperatures. A special machine then separates the shell from the bean called the “nib”. After, the milling process begins which turns the nibs into a liquid called chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is a smooth, dark stream of pure chocolate flavor which does not contain alcohol. The combination process begins at the heart of the factory where the chocolate liquor is mixed with other key ingredients such as sugar and milk. This new mixture is then dried into brown powder called chocolate crumb which is used to make milk chocolate. The crumb becomes a thick liquid called chocolate paste once cocoa powder is added. The new paste is now poured into huge vats called conches where rollers smooth out any gritty particles in the crumb. After 24 hours, the paste is ready to be poured into moulds. The moulding machines can fill more than 1,000 moulds per minute with Hershey’s chocolate. The moulds are then set aside to cool and harden into delicious chocolate. Watch the process here!

“Making Chocolate.” Hershey. The Hershey Company, 14 July 2009. Web. 12 May 2010. .

The Art of Hershey

The Great American Chocolate Bar Theme Song

“The Great American Chocolate Bar.” TelevisionTunes. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.

What brings thousands of people to Hershey, Pennsylvania a year besides the invigorating chocolate? The well-known ‘Hershey World’, of course! Located in Hershey, Pennsylvania is a fun-filled museum containing the life of Milton S. Hershey and the history of the expanding company. The Hershey Story guides visitors and tourists on an inspirational journey through Milton Hershey's lifetime and much more exciting information about chocolate. Many exhibits are offered such as Failures to Fortunes, Sweet Innovations, Power of Promotion, Hershey Builds Hershey, and A Living Legacy.The museum brings visitors a story dating more than 150 years of the company’s trials, triumphs, hardships, and the tale of Milton Hershey’s unwavering confidence. The Hershey Story is an uplifting celebration of the great American dream. Hershey’s chocolate is very versatile and therefore it is used in tons of cooking and baking recipes from cookies, cakes, to fun snacks. In the early years of the company, a popular theme song was created to advertise the Hershey Bar in a television or radio ad. Just recently, the popular country singer Rascal Flatts has teamed up with The Hershey Company to create a commercial advertising the promotion called ‘Rocks Your Blocks’. Hershey’s does its best to promote its company and celebrities like Rascal Flatts are honored to be working with such a successful company like Hershey’s.

Rascal Flatts Hershey’s Commercial. Trustcollective, 2009. Youtube. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Milton S. Hershey

Today, Milton S. Hershey is considered a very successful and intelligent entrepreneur but it did not come easy because along the way he encountered a difficult process to get his business where it is now. It took four times to run a lasting candy company. He tried opening factories in Lancaster, Denver, New York City, then Lancaster again which was a success. Hershey's passion for starting his own chocolate company started at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It took Milton Hershey several years to perfect an acceptable recipe for making his Hershey's milk chocolate. Having learned from his past failures, Hershey had become a shrewd and astute businessman which is why The Hershey Company is doing so well today. Upon a growing business, n 1909 Hershey and his wife Catherine established the Hershey Industrial School which was a school for orphan boys. But today it has expanded and is now called the Milton Hershey School which is open to girls as well. In 1945, Milton Hershey died leaving his successful company in the hands of others. The company, town and institutions that bear his name were well positioned to continue and expand.

Interview: Others Obsessed

Obsession interview with my father:

1. What makes Hershey's Chocolate different from all of the other chocolate brands?

The milk chocolate they use from the local farms, also it has a rich and creamy texture that I love.

2. The Hershey Company offers a variety of other brands such as Reese's, Kit-Kat, Bliss, and Twizzlers. Which is your favorite?

Reese's, I like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate.

3. Have you ever been to Hershey, Pennsylvania, if so what was it like?

Oh yeah! It was awesome, I enjoyed the amusement park and the kiss-shaped street lights.

4. Why are you obsessed with chocolate?

I love the smell and taste of chocolate, and it is in my blood.

5. What are some of your favorite things about the Hershey bar and how often do you eat one?

I like the wrapper, the shape, the embossing on the chocolate, the taste and the feel.

6. What makes the Hershey bar an icon of American society today?

The traditional wrapper that is used, and it was the first candy bar I remember as a child.

The Hershey Tradition

One of Hershey's most popular and globally renowned products is the Hershey KISS. As the company developed and became a well-known brand name, it has expanded to offer several products using the same great quality chocolate. Hershey's Chocolate Company has become one of the oldest chocolate companies in the United States. Hershey’s products are used in many other items such as baking and cooking. The quality and ingredients of Hershey's chocolate has remained constant over the years although the company has gone through expansion and new ownership. The Hershey Bar serves as an American icon in the sense that it is a traditional candy bar that has been tasted and passed down through generations. Everything about the Hershey's Chocolate bar has remained the same since the very first one including the plain but well-known wrapper, the moulding of 'HERSHEY' engraved into smaller bars, and the legacy behind the Hershey name.


Works Cited

“Company History.” Hershey. The Hershey Company, 14 July 2009. Web. 12 May 2010. http://www.hersheys.com/‌discover/‌history/‌company.asp.

“The Great American Chocolate Bar.” TelevisionTunes. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. http://www.televisiontunes.com/‌Hershey_-_The_Great_American_Chocolate_Bar.html.

“Making Chocolate.” Hershey. The Hershey Company, 14 July 2009. Web. 12 May 2010. http://www.hersheys.com/‌discover/‌chocolate.asp.

“Milton S. Hershey.” Hershey. The Hershey Company, 14 July 2009. Web. 13 May 2010.http://www.hersheys.com/‌discover/‌milton/‌milton.asp.

“The Museum on Chocolate Avenue.” The Hershey Story. The M.S. Hershey Foundation, 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.http://www.hersheystory.org/ .

“Plan Your Visit.” Hershey. The Hershey Company, 14 July 2009. Web. 12 May 2010. http://www.hersheys.com/‌discover/‌planyourtrip.asp .

Rascal Flatts Hershey’s Commercial. Trustcollective, 2009. Youtube. Web. 13 May 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5FZIB7zYOc .