A Brief History of the Hershey Chocolate Company

Millions of people consume their products every day, but do you know the history of the Hershey Chocolate Company? Here's a few facts about the founding and growth of a company whose tasty products have captivated many of us over the years.

What was to become the Hershey Company began its life as a lowly subsidiary of the Lancaster Caramel Company. Beginning in 1893, the company produced baking chocolate and cocoa that was used for the products of the parent entity. In time, the products began to take off and the Hershey  Company was officially organized and incorporated as a separate business entity on October 24, 1927.

“Surprisingly enough the Hershey Chocolate Company is well known in all parts of the world, it seems there is every place has some kind of Hershey chocolate.”

Milton S. Hershey had known hard times early in life. Born into humble circumstances, Hershey was not the product of a formal education. While trying several business ventures, nothing every quite caught on. That is, until Hershey discovered and help cultivate the market for chocolate.

The founding of the Hershey Chocolate Company brought an end to hard times and the occasional threat of bankruptcy. In no time, the company expanded its line of products and was received by the general public with open arms. While still supplying basic cooking products for the home, the Hershey Chocolate Company soon set an industry standard with its line of candy bars and pre-packaged sweets. Perhaps the greatest triumph of Milton Hershey was his development of a process to manufacture milk chocolate. This process did more than any other factor to make chocolate affordable and therefor marketable to just about every income level. 

Today, the Hershey Chocolate Company employs over 13,000 persons around the world. In addition to turning out the chocolate products we all know and love, it is also the focus of it's own tourist attraction - Chocolate World, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Her you can learn all the details of the development of the company, its products and a lot about how Hershey Chocolate is made from ingredients that must meet specific criteria and quality standards. If you love chocolate, a visit to Hershey Chocolate World may be an ideal stop during your next vacation.