 |
| Photo from hersheypa.com |
Milton S. Hershey started his confectionery career as a teenage apprentice for a candy maker in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After four years of apprenticing, he started his own candy business. After six years of trying to make the business prosper, it failed.
He decided to move to Denver, Colorado and work for a confectioner who made caramels with fresh dairy milk. He learned a lot from his mentor, then started up another candy business in New York City. Sadly, this business also failed.
Milton persevered, and headed back to Lancaster to try again. He was intent on making his caramel business successful, and this time it was. Soon the “Lancaster Caramel Company” was shipping caramels all over the country and Europe as well.
In 1893, while visiting the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Milton regained his fascination with chocolate making. He purchased some fancy German chocolate making equipment in the hopes of producing a chocolate coating for his caramels. With the demand for chocolate on the rise, Milton started the “Hershey Chocolate Company.” This time he perfected a recipe for making luxurious milk chocolate. He now could start mass producing and distributing his chocolate. Milton took pride in making milk chocolate that everyone could afford and enjoy with their families.
The chocolate business became so successful that Milton sold his caramel business to devote all of his time to making chocolate. He wanted to expand production so he built a new factory near Derry Township, where he was born. The factory was now surrounded by dairy farms and was convenient to the port cities who provided the cocoa beans and sugar to manufacture his chocolate.
Milton knew how to keep his employees happy. He believed that if you treat your workers fairly and provide them with a friendly and comfortable work environment, they would be more productive. He built his own town specifically for his loyal employees and their families. The town of “Hershey” has schools, parks, churches and a trolley system to get around. Later, a department store, swimming pool and an amusement park were added. It has become a popular travel destination for vacationers and businesses alike.
One of Milton’s biggest accomplishments was creating a school for orphan boys called the “Milton Hershey School.” He wanted every boy to be educated, not just the wealthy. Because he and his wife Catherine had no children of their own, Milton transferred the bulk of his wealth (including the Hershey Chocolate Company) to the “Hershey Trust” to be held for the Milton Hershey School.
Today, the “Hershey Company” encompasses a range of products. Besides manufacturing confectionery bars, they make bagged and boxed treats, baking ingredients, chocolate drink mixes and beverages, peanut butter and dessert toppings. Some of the well known brands like Twizzlers, Reeses, Almond Joy, Kit Kat, Jolly Ranchers, York Peppermint Patties, Breathsavers, Bubble Yum, Ice Breakers mints and gum, and Mauna Loa Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts are now manufactured by Hershey. You can also find sugar-free and kosher products as well.
The next time you bite into one of the many Hershey chocolate bars available, I hope you will thank Milton Hershey for never giving up on his dream. For more information about Milton and his company, you can visit the link below. You can also view a self-guided video tour of the chocolate making process.
Source for information: thehersheycompany.com
No comments:
Post a Comment