The Hershey

What The Hershey does

The Hershey Company, founded in 1894 by Milton Hershey in Pennsylvania and publicly traded on the NYSE under ticker HSY, is a leading American confectionery and snack manufacturer operating a multi-brand portfolio that includes HERSHEY'S, REESE'S, JOLLY RANCHER, TWIZZLERS, ROLO, BROOKSIDE, WHOPPERS, HEATH, DOTS, and PIRATE'S BOOTY, alongside acquired brand LesserEvil. Its core technology is confectionery manufacturing and food processing, with operations spanning U.S. headquarters in Hershey, PA and manufacturing in Mexico (including REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups production); the company employs 10,000+ people and runs a $1.875 billion revolving credit facility.

The company generates revenue by selling branded confectionery, snacks, baking ingredients (chips, syrups, cocoa in standard, Zero Sugar, and Simply 5 formats), and limited-edition premium products (e.g., $8.99 Dubai Chocolate Bar) through grocery/mass retail, convenience stores, e-commerce (Hershey Online Store), on-demand delivery (Gopuff), and company-owned retail destinations (Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA and Times Square). Its go-to-market combines enterprise field sales under the newly unified 'ONE Hershey' US commercial operating model (launched March 2026), channel-partner activations showcased at the NACS Show for convenience retail, and direct-to-consumer exclusives for premium/specialty SKUs. Co-branded collaborations with Mondelez (REESE'S OREO) and licensed partnerships with Pokémon extend brand reach into gaming and collector demographics.

Name

The Hershey

Legal name

The Hershey Company

Website

https://hersheyland.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Hershey Company is a leading American confectionery and snack manufacturer founded in 1894, producing iconic brands including HERSHEY'S, REESE'S, and JOLLY RANCHER, plus acquired LesserEvil, for mass-market consumers via retail, convenience, e-commerce, and its own Chocolate World stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Confectionery

NAICS

Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing (31134)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Candy Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Candy & Specialty Sweets Stores (THAFAGAH)

Keywords

• Chocolate confectionery
• Peanut butter cups
• Baking ingredients
• Candy products
• Salty snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

El Salto

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Confectionery and Snack Products: Hershey generates revenue through manufacturing and selling confectionery products (chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, candy), snacks, and syrups through retail and wholesale channels.
2. Protein-Focused Snacks: Expansion into protein-focused snack categories driven by consumer demand trends.
3. Premium/Limited Edition Products: Premium offerings like $8.99 Dubai chocolate bar sold at exclusive locations, indicating strategy for high-margin specialty products.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Hershey Company manufactures and sells branded confectionery and snack products including chocolate bars, baking chips, syrups, cocoa, peanut butter cups, fruity and chewy candies, and salty snacks. Products are sold across mainstream, premium, limited-edition, and health-conscious variants under brands such as HERSHEY'S, REESE'S, JOLLY RANCHER, TWIZZLERS, DOT'S, PIRATE'S BOOTY, and the acquired LesserEvil brand. Distribution spans grocery, mass retail, convenience stores, e-commerce, and company-owned retail destinations.

Product overview

The Hershey Company is a leading American confectionery manufacturer operating under a multi-brand portfolio strategy. The product lineup includes core chocolate brands (HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate, SPECIAL DARK, KISSES), the dominant REESE'S peanut butter cup franchise (available in standard, OREO collaboration, Caramel, and Chocolate Lava variants), baking ingredients (chips, syrups, cocoa in multiple formats including Zero Sugar and Simply 5 organic options), fruity and chewy candies (JOLLY RANCHER, TWIZZLERS), and snacks (DOT'S, Pirate's Booty, acquired LesserEvil). The company has recently expanded into limited-edition premium offerings like the Dubai Chocolate Bar and protein-focused products, while maintaining seasonal offerings such as patriotic-themed REESE'S Miniatures and KISSES for major holidays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REESE'S: Peanut butter cup brand and one of Hershey's largest brands
• HERSHEY'S
• JOLLY RANCHER
• ROLO
• BROOKSIDE
• TWIZZLERS
• WHOPPERS
• HEATH
• DOTS
• PIRATE'S BOOTY

Products and services

• HERSHEY'S Baking Chips Portfolio of baking chips including milk chocolate, semi-sweet, SPECIAL DARK, cinnamon, Premier White Crème, and cream cheese varieties, sold in 8–12 oz bags for pancakes, cookies, cakes, muffins, and other baked goods. Targeted at home bakers and families.
• HERSHEY'S Syrups Chocolate, Zero Sugar, SPECIAL DARK, Simply 5, Strawberry, and Caramel syrups for chocolate milk, ice cream sundaes, hot cocoa, and baking, sold in 17.5–24 oz bottles and 120 oz jugs. Targeted at families and foodservice consumers.
• HERSHEY'S Cocoa 100% cacao natural unsweetened cocoa powder for baking and recipes, sold in 8 oz cans. Targeted at home bakers and foodservice operators.
• REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups Classic and flavored REESE'S peanut butter cups combining milk chocolate and peanut butter, available in standard, Chocolate Lava, Caramel, Marshmallow, Big Cup, Miniatures, and PIECES variants across multiple pack sizes. Targeted at mass-market and gifting consumers.
• REESE'S OREO Peanut Butter Cups Co-branded peanut butter cups featuring OREO cookie crumbs and white crème, produced in partnership with Mondelez International. Snacks are produced under a trademark license from Mondelēz. Targeted at consumers seeking novel co-branded confectionery.
• HERSHEY'S KISSES Pokémon Collectible HERSHEY'S KISSES featuring Pokémon characters and foil wrappers, produced under licensed collaboration with Pokémon. Targeted at collectors, families, and gaming demographics.
• PIRATE'S BOOTY Pokémon PIRATE'S BOOTY snack with Pikachu-shaped puffs produced under licensed collaboration with Pokémon. Targeted at families and gaming demographics.
• DOT'S Snack Mix Seasoned snack mix featuring DOT'S pretzels, sold in 14 oz bags for parties, game days, and afternoon snacking. Targeted at households and on-the-go snackers.
• JOLLY RANCHER Freeze Dried Candy Freeze-dried JOLLY RANCHER candy in mixed berry flavors, sold in 3.1 oz bags. Targeted at consumers seeking novel candy formats.
• Dubai Chocolate Bar Limited-edition Dubai-style chocolate bar featuring premium Middle Eastern-inspired flavors, sold exclusively on Gopuff and at Hershey's Chocolate World in Times Square for $8.99. Targeted at premium and novelty-seeking consumers.
• TWIZZLERS Strawberry Twists Strawberry-flavored twisted rope candy, sold in 2.5 oz bags. Targeted at consumer confectionery shoppers.
• HERSHEY'S Caramel Bars Milk chocolate bars with caramel filling, reformulated to be more caramelly than before, sold in 1.4 oz 6-pack. Targeted at mass-market chocolate consumers.
• HERSHEY'S KISSES Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Candy Strawberry-flavored KISSES shaped like ice cream cones, sold in 9 oz bags. Targeted at novelty-seeking confectionery consumers.
• LesserEvil Snacks Snack brand known for organic and bold-flavored products, acquired by Hershey to expand its snack portfolio into new categories and increase manufacturing capacity. Targeted at health-conscious and better-for-you snack consumers.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• LesserEvilmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2025Hershey announced intent to acquire LesserEvil, a snack maker known for organic and bold-flavored products, in April 2025. The acquisition aims to expand Hershey's snack portfolio into new categories and increase manufacturing capacity, with deal valued at approximately $750 million. Pending regulatory approval.
• Mondelez International (OREO)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-branding partnership between REESE'S and OREO producing collaborative products like REESE'S OREO® Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and REESE'S OREO® Miniatures. Trademark license from Mondelēz International group.
• PokémoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLicensed collaboration producing HERSHEY'S KISSES Pokémon (collectible KISSES with Pokémon foils) and PIRATE'S BOOTY x PIKACHU Shape Puffs. Cross-promotional products targeting collector and gaming demographics.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mondelez International: Direct competitor in chocolate and confectionery (Cadbury, Toblerone, OREO globally). Comparable CPG portfolio, distribution model, and Hershey is a GTM partner (REESE'S OREO co-brand).
• Mars, Inc. Private competitor across chocolate (M&M's, Snickers, Dove), gum, and pet food. Closest portfolio and scale analog to Hershey in confectionery and snacking.
• Ferrero Group: Global confectionery competitor (Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder). Overlaps with Hershey in chocolate spreads, seasonal confections, and premium positioning.
• Lindt & Sprüngli: Premium chocolate manufacturer competing in the same premium and super-premium tiers Hershey is targeting with Dubai bar and specialty SKUs.
• Tootsie Roll Industries: Long-standing U.S. confectionery manufacturer with comparable product categories (Tootsie Pops, Junior Mints, Andes). Similar mass-market distribution and seasonal product focus.
• Jelly Belly Candy Company: Specialty non-chocolate confectionery manufacturer (Jelly Belly, candy corn). Comparable distribution through grocery, convenience, and seasonal retail.
• Spangler Candy Company: U.S. confectionery competitor (Dum Dums, lollipops) with similar grocery and convenience store distribution model. Mid-sized family-owned CPG peer.
• Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company (Mars): Confectionery (gum, mints) competitor under Mars with similar CPG distribution and impulse-purchase positioning in convenience channels.

Broad incumbents

• Nestlé USA: Broader food conglomerate with confectionery (KitKat, Crunch) and baking ingredients via Nestlé Toll House. Overlaps with Hershey in chocolate, baking chips, and cocoa.

Emerging players

• Dot's Homestyle Pretzels (Vegas Food Company): Better-for-you salty snack brand now within Hershey portfolio; comparable to LesserEvil acquisition thesis. Demonstrates the snack adjacency Hershey is expanding into.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSwX_0zWjWH7eOtvUcGL64w
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Hersheyland/100093627783458
• Instagraminstagram.com/hersheyland
• TikToktiktok.com/@hersheyland
• Pinterestpinterest.com/hersheyland
• Xx.com/hersheycompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Hershey