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I was invited by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts to attend the Sweet Welcome Event. All of my expenses were paid, but I promise all opinions are my own.

Did you know that Milton Hershey had his hands in more than just Hershey’s Milk Chocolate? While in Hershey, PA, I learned a great deal about the history of The Hershey Chocolate Company and wanted to share a few things with you. Milton Hershey was an inspiring businessman and I am delighted to see his legacy live on in the many aspects of Hershey!

5 Things You May Not Know About The Hershey Chocolate Company

Milton Hershey School

Milton Hershey School has helped children realize their full potential for more than 100 years by offering a top-notch education to students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade for income eligible families. This school is a cost-free, private, co-educational school in Hershey, PA. This school was established in 1909 by Milton & Catherine Hershey to provide a positive, structured home life – year round – to help children gain the skills to be successful in all aspects of life. Today more than 2,000 students from across the US attend MHS. They have access to unique award-winning programs, experienced teachers and caring adult mentors, state-of-the-art facilities, sports, music, arts and advanced technology. Students also have the opportunity to earn continuing education scholarships. On average, 80% of graduating seniors plan to pursue some type of postsecondary education to expand on the knowledge and skills learned at MHS. MHS is committed to helping students achieve a life full of possibilities. Every time you eat Hershey’s chocolate or visit Hersheypark, you’re helping fund the Milton Hershey School. If that’s not motivation to eat more chocolate, I don’t know what is! 🙂 You can learn more about this amazing school by going to MHSKids.org.

Lancaster Caramel Company

Did you know that Milton’s first success wasn’t in chocolate but in caramels? His company was known as Lancaster Caramel Company.  These top of the line caramels were made with sugar, corn syrup, fresh whole milk and 40% cream, together with almonds, a little cocoa powder, and a taste of chocolate. “The Lancaster Caramel Company was incorporated on February 8, 1894. It was at this time that Hershey Chocolate Company was formally organized as a subsidiary of the Lancaster Caramel Company. Stock was issued to a small group of men as part of the legal requirements of incorporation. Milton Hershey, of course, owned the majority of the stock. Other holders included: William. L. Blair, Edward M. Robinsion, Carl Kleinbeck, of Chicago, and Frank B. Snavely, of Chicago. The Hershey Chocolate Company was listed as a subsidiary of the Caramel Company. When Milton Hershey sold the Lancaster Caramel Company on August 10, 1900 to the American Caramel Company for $1 million, he retained the rights to the Hershey Chocolate Company.” Milton got this recipe right using a skill he learned from a confectioner in Denver to make caramels with fresh milk. You will find more information on the history of this company HERE. There is a caramel recipe available today that is believed to be the closest to the original. You can find them HERE and they’re delicious!!

Simple Ingredients

Their recipe is simple and uses Farm Fresh Milk –Milton Hershey started with simple, delicious ingredients like farm fresh milk more than 100 years ago. At one time, chocolate was only affordable to the wealthy. But by using fresh milk, Mr. Hershey was able to mass produce milk chocolate and make it affordable for everyone. All the milk used in HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate comes from dairies located within 100 miles of Hershey, Pennsylvania. Today, The Hershey Chocolate Company still uses this simple recipe. Check out more details about their simple ingredients HERE. 

Hershey, Cuba

Did you know that there is a Hershey, Cuba? Milton Hershey first visited Cuba in January 1916. It is said that he fell in love with the country at first sight. Mr. Hershey bought a small sugar mill, created a railroad and opened a school for orphaned boys there. Hershey’s Cuban holdings were sold in 1946 to the Cuban Atlantic Sugar Company. At the time of the sale the operations included 60,000 acres of land, 5 raw sugar mills, a peanut oil plant, a henequen plant, 4 electric plants, and 251 miles of railroad track with sufficient locomotives and cars. More details HERE.

Reese Candy Company –

Harry Burnett Reese was the founder of the H.B. Reese Candy Company. “He began making his famed Peanut Butter Cups as part of a large candy assortment about 1928. Besides the Peanut Butter Cup, the assortment line included: coconut cream, peppermint cream, chocolate jets, nougat, marshmellow-nut, coated dates, coconut caramel, peanut clusters, raisin clusters, honey dew coconut and nuttees. The candy was coated by hand on marble slabs, four ladies at each table. The candy was packed in five pound boxes and sold to department stores for re-sale by bulk weight. To promote sales H.B. Reese often set up a coating table in the windows of large department stores and had several girls coating the candy in full view of passing shoppers. Inside the store, other girls would hand out samples.” The other varieties were discontinued in 1942 due to wartime rationing and the popularity of the Peanut Butter Cup. Since the beginning, the company enjoyed a close relationship with Hershey Chocolate and Hershey supplied all of Reese’s chocolate coating. At the Reese’s factory in Hershey PA, they make 5 million regular sized Reese’s cups a day and 9,000 mini Reese’s cups a minute!! Yum! More details on the history HERE.

What did you learn?

So, what did you learn? There are so many things that I didn’t know about The Hershey Chocolate Company! You can learn more when you visit Hershey, PA. I’ve shared how to plan the perfect girl’s weekend, too!

Thank You For Sharing!!