What Hershey does

The Hershey Company is a publicly traded (NYSE: HSY) global confectionery and snacks manufacturer founded in 1894 by Milton Hershey, headquartered at 19 East Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, with approximately 19,000 employees. The company produces and sells chocolate bars, sweets, mints and other snacks across an extensive brand portfolio including Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat (U.S. license), Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop, Dot's Homestyle Pretzels, Pirate's Booty, Krave, Lily's, ONE Brands, LesserEvil and Sour Strips. Most sales occur in the United States, with growing international operations in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, China, and cocoa sourcing in Côte d'Ivoire. Hershey's underlying technology stack is unusually mature for a CPG company: agentic AI marketing mix modeling on Mutinex and Tracer.tech manages approximately $2B in media and trade marketing spend, generative AI content production runs nightly across owned data with direct The Trade Desk contracts, and Aera Technology decision intelligence integrated with SAP and o9 Solutions automates supply chain decisions including cocoa hedging.

The business model is mass-market consumer packaged goods (CPG) with revenue from manufacturing and selling branded confectionery, salty snacks and protein products through grocery, mass, convenience and foodservice channels, augmented by licensing and royalty streams (e.g., Ryl Tea / Jolly Rancher iced tea licensing, Hershey-Bimbo co-branded snacks, Cadbury USA website operation, Butterbeer/Warner Bros. licensing). Pricing is set at retail by individual retailers rather than centrally, with co-branded snacks at $1.99 SRP and a quarterly dividend of $1.452/share (raised 6% from $1.37). Capital structure is investment-grade: Moody's A1 (stable) and S&P A (stable) ratings, supported by a 2023 $750M bond offering ($350M 4.250% notes due 2028 and $400M 4.500% notes due 2033) and a new $1.875B revolving credit facility (October 2025). Q1 2026 net sales were $3.10B (up 10.6% YoY), with full-year 2025 revenue of approximately $11.7B and 2026 targets of 4-5% net sales growth and 30-35% adjusted EPS growth. The 2026 launch of the ONE Hershey operating model unifies sweet, salty and protein portfolios across 75,000+ retail locations under a single commercial engine, with simultaneous geographic expansion into Mexico, the UK, and Brazil under the 'Next Generation Snacking' strategy.

Name

Hershey

Legal name

The Hershey Company

Website

https://thehersheycompany.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Hershey Company is a publicly traded (NYSE: HSY) global confectionery and snacks manufacturer founded in 1894, producing chocolate, sweets, mints, and salty snacks across brands including Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, SkinnyPop, and Dot's, distributed through 75,000+ retail locations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hershey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods (Confectionery, Salty Snacks, Protein): Primary revenue from producing and selling confectionery, snacks and international products, with most sales in the United States. Q1 2026 net sales were $3.10B, up 10.6% YoY, with North America Salty Snacks growing 26% (boosted by the LesserEvil acquisition contributing ~20 percentage points). Annual targets of 4-5% net sales growth and 30-35% adjusted EPS growth for 2026.
2. Brand Licensing (e.g., Ryl Tea / Jolly Rancher iced tea): Multi-year licensing partnership with The Ryl Company to launch zero-sugar Jolly Rancher-inspired iced tea products (Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, Cherry), with additional innovation planned for Q1 2027. Ryl reported 157% YoY growth, generating royalty-style income to Hershey.
3. Foodservice and B2B Solutions: Revenue from Hershey Foodservice (used by operators like Cruisin Coffee), Hershey Fundraising, Hershey Solutions and direct customer orders via the B2B storefront. Includes co-branded programs such as Hershey's Syrup used as a key ingredient by foodservice operators.
4. Co-Branded/Embedded Brand Partnerships (e.g., Grupo Bimbo): Co-branded baked snacks distributed at US convenience stores at $1.99 SRP (Marinela Hershey's Snack Cake, Marinela Hershey's Pingüinos, Bimbo Hershey's Mantechox, Bimbo Hershey's Crossantines Minis), previously popular in Mexico. Generates licensing/supply revenue with the partner bearing distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion6 records

Core offering

The Hershey Company manufactures and sells branded chocolate confectionery, mints and gum, hard and chewy candy, salty snacks, better-for-you snacks, and protein bars under owned and licensed brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat (U.S. license), Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop, Dot's Homestyle Pretzels, Pirate's Booty, ONE Brands, Lily's, LesserEvil, Sour Strips, and Cadbury (USA). The company operates primarily in the United States with additional sales in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, India, and China, distributing through mass-market retailers, foodservice operators, fundraising, co-branded partners, and e-commerce channels.

Product overview

Hershey's offering is a multi-brand consumer packaged goods (CPG) platform-plus-portfolio architecture rather than a single unified product: it combines an established North America Confectionery segment (anchored by the Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Kit Kat (U.S. license), Ice Breakers, York, Mounds, Almond Joy, Brookside, Mr. Goodbar, PayDay, Take 5, Rolo, Whoppers, Good & Plenty, 5th Avenue, Heath, Dagoba, Scharffen Berger, Lily's, Lancaster, and Barkthins core brands) with an expanding North America Salty Snacks segment (SkinnyPop, Dot's Homestyle Pretzels, Pirate's Booty, Krave, and the recently acquired LesserEvil and Sour Strips brands) plus a ONE Brands protein nutrition offering that crosses segments via co-branded extensions such as the ONE x Reese's Protein Bar. Underpinning this portfolio is Hershey's AI-enabled marketing and supply chain technology stack: marketing analytics and generative AI agents run on Mutinex and Tracer.tech for marketing mix modeling and media planning (with The Trade Desk and Publicis Groupe powering activation), while Aera Technology integrated with SAP and o9 Solutions automates and optimizes supply chain decision intelligence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hershey's: Flagship chocolate brand of The Hershey Company.
• Reese's
• Hershey's Kisses
• Kit Kat
• Jolly Rancher
• Twizzlers
• Ice Breakers
• SkinnyPop
• Dot's Homestyle Pretzels
• Pirate's Booty
• Krave
• Brookside
• Almond Joy
• Mounds
• York
• Payday
• Heath
• Take 5
• Mr. Goodbar
• Rolo
• Whoppers
• 5th Avenue
• Good & Plenty
• Lancaster
• Zagnut
• Dagoba
• Scharffen Berger
• Lily's
• ONE Brands
• LesserEvil
• Sour Strips
• Cadbury (USA)
• Barkthins
• SoFit
• Zero
• Allan
• Fulfil

Products and services

• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars Flagship milk chocolate bar brand of The Hershey Company; includes baking products such as Hershey's Syrup and seasonal formats; the company's foundational confectionery brand sold to mass-market consumers.
• Reese's Lead Hershey brand covering peanut butter cups, seasonal shapes, and co-branded protein-bar extensions; one of Hershey's highest-revenue chocolate confectionery brands.
• Hershey's Kisses Iconic bite-sized milk chocolate brand with seasonal varieties (Halloween, Holiday) and frequent limited-edition co-branded editions.
• Butterbeer Hershey's Products Licensed co-branded Hershey's confectionery products in Butterbeer flavor, developed with Warner Bros. Discovery to target Harry Potter franchise fans.
• HERSHEY'S Crème Bars Premium crème-bar format line extension of the Hershey's brand in Salted Caramel Crème and Affogato flavors for fall seasonal availability.
• Jolly Rancher Hard candy and gummies brand; extended with a zero-sugar gummies line and multi-year brand licensing partnership with The Ryl Company for Jolly Rancher-inspired iced tea products.
• Dot's Homestyle Pretzels Seasoned pretzel snacks brand holding the No. 1 position in the pretzel category, expanded into snack mix formats.
• Marinela Hershey's Co-Branded Baked Snacks (Snack Cake, Pingüinos, Mantechox, Crossantines Minis) Co-branded baked snacks produced under Hershey-Bimbo partnership and distributed at US convenience stores at $1.99 SRP, including Marinela Hershey's Snack Cake, Marinela Hershey's Pingüinos, Bimbo Hershey's Mantechox, and Bimbo Hershey's Crossantines Minis.
• SkinnyPop Better-for-you popped popcorn brand acquired via Amplify Snack Brands in 2018; core salty snack brand in Hershey's North America Salty Snacks segment.
• Pirate's Booty Baked, better-for-you rice and corn puffs brand acquired via Pirate Brands in 2018.
• LesserEvil Organic better-for-you snacks brand (popcorn, puffs) acquired in November 2025; contributed approximately 20 percentage points to Hershey's salty snacks growth in 2026.
• Sour Strips Sour strip candy brand originally launched direct-to-consumer in 2019 and acquired by Hershey in 2024.
• ONE Brands High-protein bar and functional snacking brand acquired by Hershey; extended via co-branded extensions such as the ONE x Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Layered Protein Bar.
• Lily's Stevia-sweetened, no-sugar-added chocolate bars and baking chips brand positioned in better-for-you confectionery.
• Krave Premium beef jerky and meat snacks brand in Hershey's salty snacks portfolio.
• Cadbury (USA) Cadbury USA confectionery line operated by The Hershey Company for the U.S. market under license.
• Twizzlers Licorice-style twisted candy brand with multiple flavor variants.
• Ice Breakers Mint and gum brand offering mints, gum, and refreshment products.
• Kit Kat (U.S. license) Wafer chocolate bar produced under license in the United States; subject to AI-driven organic social media content campaigns.
• Almond Joy Coconut, almond, and milk chocolate candy bar brand.
• Mounds Dark chocolate and coconut candy bar brand.
• York Peppermint Pattie Patty-style dark chocolate peppermint candy brand.
• Brookside Fruit-and-chocolate confectionery brand.
• Take 5 Multi-layer candy bar combining pretzel, peanut, caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate.
• Rolo Caramel-filled chocolate-covered rolled candy brand.
• Whoppers Chocolate-covered malted milk ball candy brand.
• Good & Plenty Licorice candy brand.
• 5th Avenue Crunchy peanut butter and chocolate candy bar brand.
• Heath English toffee chocolate bar brand.
• Mr. Goodbar Chocolate and peanut candy bar brand.
• PayDay Peanut and caramel candy bar brand.
• Dagoba Organic and premium chocolate products brand.
• Scharffen Berger Premium dark chocolate products brand.
• Lancaster Premium caramel and soft-cream candy brand.
• Barkthins Thin-chocolate snacking bar brand.
• Hershey Foodservice B2B foodservice business serving operators such as Cruisin Coffee with Hershey's Syrup and other confectionery used as key menu ingredients.
• Hershey Fundraising Direct-to-group fundraising catalog selling Hershey's branded confectionery for fundraising campaigns.
• Hershey Solutions B2B storefront supporting direct customer orders of Hershey's branded products.
• Hershey's Chocolate World Direct-to-consumer retail and tourist attraction in Hershey, PA, including the refreshed Chocolate Tour Ride and new trolley with Americana theming for America's 250th birthday celebration.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

AI capability10 records

Feature5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Mondelez International: Global confectionery and snacks leader (Oreo, Cadbury outside US, Toblerone) with similar CPG model, US-confectionery overlap via Cadbury brand licensed to Hershey in the US, and broadly comparable AI/marketing investment thesis. Most direct large-cap peer to Hershey's global snacking ambitions.
• Mars, Inc. Private global confectionery and snacks leader (M&M's, Snickers, Dove, Twix, Uncle Ben's, Wrigley) competing head-to-head with Hershey's in chocolate and gum/mints, with overlapping US retail presence and similar cocoa supply exposure. Closest direct competitor by category overlap.
• The Kraft Heinz Company: Major US-centric CPG platform spanning condiments, meals, and emerging snacks exposure. Comparable large-cap North American CPG economics, similar retailer dynamics, and a relevant talent pipeline source (incoming CSCO Mitchell Arends came from Kraft Heinz's NA supply chain leadership).
• PepsiCo, Inc. Frito-Lay is the dominant US salty snacks platform that Hershey is explicitly targeting (#4 to #2 ambition). PepsiCo also shares the CPG retailer dynamics, AI-marketing investment pattern, and incoming Hershey President U.S. Heather Hoytink comes from PepsiCo.
• Nestlé S.A. Global confectionery peer via Kit Kat international (Hershey holds US license), Smarties, and global snacking portfolio. Comparable global CPG scale, cocoa sourcing exposure, and nutrition/health repositioning strategy; major international expansion benchmark for Hershey's MX/UK/BR push.
• Ferrero International: Private Italian-owned global confectionery group (Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder) competing in chocolate and adjacent categories. Comparable premium and seasonal confectionery plays, similar global cocoa exposure, and recent category expansion (e.g., WK Kellogg acquisition interest).
• General Mills, Inc. Large US-centric CPG with snack adjacencies (Annie's, Nature Valley, Pillsbury) and a comparable 'better-for-you' and protein repositioning thesis. Similar retailer relationships, supply chain dynamics, and AI/digital transformation narrative.
• The Campbell's Company: US-centric packaged food platform with major salty snacks exposure through Snyder's-Lance and Goldfish, directly competing with Hershey's pretzel and snack mix ambitions (Dot's, SkinnyPop, LesserEvil). Similar North American CPG economics and trade-spend dynamics.

Direct peers

• Tootsie Roll Industries: Small-cap US confectionery pure-play (Tootsie Roll, Charms, Blow Pops) overlapping directly with Hershey's mass-market US candy portfolio. Smaller and more narrowly focused, but the closest pure-play US confectionery comparable for revenue mix and trade dynamics.

Regional players

• Post Holdings: US-focused packaged food platform with serial acquisition model (cereal, refrigerated retail, foodservice, pet food) and direct overlap in adjacent snacking categories. Hershey's salty snacks acquisition cadence (Amplify, Dot's, LesserEvil) mirrors Post's roll-up playbook.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hersheys
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7JmBzSkSkndBJdlREKUfUA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HERSHEYS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hershey-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/hersheycompany

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A23 records

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hershey