At this very moment, countless consumers are savoring a delectable Hershey chocolate bar, or even better, some Kisses. Unaware of the rich history of either product, these consumers indulge in the heavenly sensation of rich chocolate melting in their mouths. Having been around for more than a century, the success of the Hershey Chocolate Company is astounding. With its staggering net worth of more than $600 million, it comes as a shock that the company had such humble beginnings.
Milton Hershey, a charismatic and industrious businessman from Pennsylvania, created the Hershey Company in 1894. After a string of failed business ventures as a young man, he finally struck gold in caramels. Slowly, he expanded his business and acquired more properties. After a time, he decided to create the perfect chocolate, initially to coat his caramels with, but would later become the enduring product of his company. Hershey’s milk chocolate became the first chocolate product to be marketed nationally. From a series dismal failures to exponential profits, Milton Hershey was finally triumphant in his endeavor to earn from his own business.
In 1907, the first Hershey Kisses were produced. The most widely known legend for the origin of the chocolate’s name is that the machine that yields the world-famous chocolate creates a kissing sound during production. The Kisses were an immense success, as with Hershey’s earlier ventures. Until 1921 all Kisses were wrapped by hand until an automated wrapping machine, which could also apply the plume along with the wrapper, was brought in. Hershey trademarked the plume at the tip of the wrapper in 1924. At first, the foil used to cover the chocolate was only silver. It was only after 1962 that the wrappers began to come in a variety of colors, beginning with the red and green foil for the Christmas season. Since 1907, the Hershey Company has been producing Kisses and only stopped for several years during World War II in order to save foil. Presently, the chocolate factories produce more than 80 million Kisses everyday. Since the founding of the Hershey Company, many other chocolate products have been introduced into the international community and the chocolate frenzy continues to hold consumers in thrall.
The Hershey Company has expanded its ventures beyond chocolates to other food products as well as hotels, parks, and resorts. Surprisingly, it has also assisted the US Army in the advent of World War II and again in 1990 in Operation Desert Shield, by creating high-calorie chocolate bars that could remain intact and unspoiled despite tremendous conditions such as exposure to poison gas, high temperatures, and immersion in water.
Having an inclination to philanthropy, Milton Hershey also created the Milton Hershey School, an educational institution for boys who had lost one or both parents, in 1909 with the intention of imbibing in young students the values of proper work ethic and the Golden Rule, both of which were the keys to Hershey’s immense success. Along with this, Hershey also founded the Hershey Trust Company so that the school and its students could be supported even after his death. Eventually, the school began to accept girls as well. Many of its graduates are still supported until they are stable enough financially and some have even become employees of the Hershey Company and its numerous businesses. It is pleasing to note that despite Milton Hershey’s legendary feats of business, he never neglected his origins. Instead, he made sure to leave a legacy of generosity and kindness towards his community, fittingly named the town of Hershey, which in turn made sure that he would always be remembered.
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