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Hershey's candy bars and chocolate products are not to be taken lightly, known for their mouth-watering chocolate candy bars and Kiss products. A well-known brand name, Hershey's Chocolate Company has become one of the oldest chocolate companies in the United States. Hershey's is also the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America---developed in 1894 by Milton S. Hershey.

The growth of Hershey's candies had a lot to do with his development of mass production for chocolate candies. Hershey's Chocolate Company was then able to produce at a lower price-per-unit than competing companies at higher prices. This allowed his high-priced milk chocolate to become affordable for the average masses, whereas only the wealthy could afford chocolates previously.

Born to Mennonite parents in rural Pennsylvania, Milton Hershey had become a young apprentice to a local candy maker in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. By 1876, he had developed such a passion for candy making that he opened his own candy shop. Lasting for about six years before closing, Milton Hershey then moved to Denver, Colorado. It was here that Hershey found a job working at a caramel candy manufacturer where he learned the caramel trade.

In 1886, Hershey returned to Lancaster to start his first major chocolate caramel company---the Lancaster Caramel Company—with goals of making an affordable chocolate candy that had a delicious taste, while remaining fresh for a long time when wrapped. By 1894, his company was producing chocolate products consisting of chocolate covered caramels, breakfast cocoa, baking chocolate, and sweet chocolate.

It should be noted that when Hershey had returned to his home of Lancaster after leaving Colorado, he did so with a strong purpose in mind of making the best milk chocolate candy on the market. But in order to make the highest quality of pure milk chocolate, he needed lots of fresh milk. With his home town located in the middle of the dairy country, he felt it was the perfect setting for his new chocolate enterprise with plenty of fresh creamy milk in it.

As the Hershey Chocolate Company became successful, Hershey became very wealthy and financially established in his home town. At this time Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine, felt obligated to help others with their personal success and began to donate to several charities.  The town was renamed Hershey to honor his kindness toward the town and because of the town's growth due to Milton Hershey and his candy factory. Today, businesses, parks, motels, hotels and the Hershey theme park adds to the tourist attraction of the area.

Another important venture was based on Milton Hershey and his wife not having any of their own children. They put their chocolate profits to use by starting the Hershey Industrial School in 1909 for surrounding areas of needy students, presently called the Milton Hershey School. Located on 10,000-acres, the school has always provided a private boarding school for over 1,100 children from K to 12th grade, children whose lives have been seriously disrupted---influencing their opportunities to receive a decent education.

 Hershey Industrial School is based on five major criteria for admission:

(1)  Age

(2)  Financial need

(3)  Social need

(4)  Potential to learn

(5)  Geographic Preference

Passing away in 1956, Milton Hershey's candy wrapper logo of "Made in Chocolate Town, So They Must Be Good" has surpassed time. Tasteful history shows us that Hershey has become a leading name in Hershey snacks and Hershey chocolate bars: Hershey Bliss, Reece's Pieces, chocolate chips, Krackel bar, Mr. Goodbar, Hershey chocolate bars, Hershey Almond bars, Reese's, Hershey Kisses, KitKat, Ice Breakers, Twizzlers, York Patty, Almond Joy and Mounds, Jolly Ranchers, and Hershey's hot chocolate and syrup.