The History of Reeses Peanut Butter Chocolate History
Reeses Peanut butter chocolate was first manufactured in America in the 1920s when H. B. Reeses Candy Company introduced a specially processed peanut butter filling with Hersheys chocolate. The peanut butter cups were the first to be produced, a popular item that has now grown to become a well-known and loved confectionary product enjoyed by people across the globe.
The Reeses name has a unique heritage. Harry Burnett Reese was born in 1879 on a farm in Frosty Hill, Pensylvania. He was a former dairy employee working for Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hersheys Food Corporation. Inspired by Hersheys success, H. B. Reese left the dairy started his own confectionery business.
Although H. B. Reeses decision led to the introduction of a now world-famous product that still represents something unique in the candy industry, he experienced much adversity before building a company that thrived on a single product his peanut butter blend.
Timeline
1879 H. B. Reese is born in Frosty Hill. Pennsylvania 1917 H. B. Reese moves to Hershey, Pennsylvania Early 1920s Reese introduces Johnny Bars (caramel-like molasses) and Lizzie Bars (Coconut Candy) with some success Mid 1920s Reeses Peanut Butter Cups introduced and sold in bulk for use in chocolate assortments Mid 1930s Reeses Peanut Butter Cups sold individually for a penny a piece to the assortment line 1939 - 1945 H. B. Reese discontinued other Reeses lines to concentrate on peanut butter cups 1940s & 1950s Reeses Cups gains distribution through wholesalers, vending machine operators and syndicated stores 1957 100,000 sq. ft. Reeses factory built in Hershey, PA 1963 Hershey purchases H. B. Reese Candy Company 2004 D&D Snacks selected as distributor to Hersheys Reeses in the United Kingdom selling Reeses Cups and Nutrageous into all major UK trade and retail outlets 2008 Reeses Pieces introduced to the United Kingdom with great success
H. B. Reese was not very fond of farming when he was young, in spite of his family heritage. As a youth, he took a variety of jobs including a country butcher and oil burner selling before moving to the town of Hershey in 1917.
He started working at the dairy owned by Milton S. Hershey. Here Reese became inspired by Hersheys confectionery range and decided to enter the market himself.
After a short time he left the dairy, moving to Hummelstown and Palmyra, where he started a number of new ventures. He enjoyed some success with Johnny Bars and Lizzie Bars, but eventually moved back to Hershey, living just a few blocks from the Hersheys manufacturing facility.
Reese sold his peanut butter cups in bulk in the mid 1920s, selling them to the trade in five-pound boxes for use in chocolate assortment boxes. By the mid 1930s, Reese Cups were being sold individually for a penny a piece to the assortment line.
During World War II conditions prompted Reese to discontinue other lines in favour of peanut butter cups, supported by consumer advertising.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Reeses distributed their peanut butter chocolate lines to wholesalers, vending machine operators and syndicated stores. During this time the peanut butter cups gained in popularity across the United States supported in part by their highly recognisable orange and yellow packaging.
The success of Reeses in the post-war period meant they required a much larger manufacturing facility by the mid 1950s. Reese acquired a tract of land on the western edge of Hershey where they built a state-of-the-art fully automated 100,000 square-foot manufacturing facility. The factory, located on Chocolate Avenue in Hershey, Pennsylvania, opened in August 1957.
Six years later, in 1963, the Hershey Chocolate Company, which was formerly known as the Hershey Food Company, bought its neighbour, H.B. Reeses Candy Company for .5 million.
Hersheys Reeses peanut butter chocolate is distributed in the United Kingdom by D&D Snacks UK Ltd. They won the import and distribution contract in 2004 selling Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Reeses Nutrageous bars into all major trade and retail outlets.
Reeses Pieces was introduced to the UK in 2008. The product has quickly grown to become a consumer favourite and Reeses Cups, Nutrageous and Pieces now have a growing consumer fan-base in the United Kingdom.
US $.99
No related posts.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Holiday foods: What food would it not be Christmas if you were without it?
I love family traditions. My own family has a few things that we make year after year and they are part of the holiday and have special memories.
I would love to hear about your traditions. Also, what ethnic origin is your family? Some people have things that are traditional to the country of origin, some have such an eclectic mix.
It’s all wonderful and special to you, so that is what I would like to know about.
Just so I participate, here are a few things from my family that go way back:
A certain cheese-ball made with cream cheese, cheddar, black olives, onion, garlic salts, sherry and
rolled in minced dried beef, has to be served with Triscuit Crackers. Yummy!
Fudge, an old recipe of my late father
Buckeye balls (peanut butter centers dipped in melted chocolate chips)
Fruit cake, but a unique recipe that is non-traditional and really nice instead of “icky”
Chex Mix
Sweet and sour meatballs, Swedish meatballs
Christmas eve: Prime rib, creamed potatoes, peas, Jubilee roll for dessert
Cookies of all kinds, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without the cut out sugar cookies with sprinkles as well as candy cane cookies and M+M chocolate chip cookies (with the red and green ones, of course)
Also, we are very “American” as far as ethnic origin. Mainly English, but we have a mix of Irish.
I have Scottish blood and German blood in me, but I’m third generation living in the US, and as far as making traditional European dishes, we don’t really make those.
Shrimp cocktail and Lil Smokies in BBQ sauce. Both of these appetizers are devoured within minutes after the guests arrive. Mom also sets out a cheese plate with different types of cheese cubes, sweet and spicy mustard, and a port wine cheese ball and whole grain crackers. There’s also a relish tray with different vegetables and ranch dressing for dipping.
I couldn’t live without the spiral ham at Christmas, and we also have turkey. I eat more of the spiral ham because of being overwhelmed by Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. But our family thought it would be nice to have both at Christmas. My mom makes this special glaze to put on the ham that is just awesome (I’m drooling now that I’m thinking about it).
As far as side dishes go we also have scalloped potatoes with onions, baked pineapple, sweet potato casserole, and dinner would be NOTHING without the green bean casserole, and homemade sage stuffing. My mom enjoys making homemade bread and rolls in her bread machine. Her specialty is the banana nut bread, or the cranberry-orange bread. She’s going to start making those tonight because the yeast has to rise and the dough has to proof over the next day or so.
We have so many desserts we’re going to be eating sweets until February
Between my mom and myself we’ve made like 16 different kinds of cookies. I enjoy cooking, but baking sweets is really my specialty especailly at Christmas. I’ve treid to make fruit cake in the past but it didn’t turn out so well. I wanted to make that a tradition, but to me it just seemed way too hard to make.
We have the traditonal sugar cookies with the red and green sprinkles, ginger creams with red and green sugar frosting, Candy cane cookies, 123 Lemon cookies, the Peanut-butter blossoms with the Hershey Kisses, Holiday Snickerdoodles, Cherry Cobbler Cookies, and Thumbprint Cookies with Cherry or Mint Jelly. Those are just the eight different kinds that I have made. My mom made the other eight kinds and I have no idea what she’s made. My younger sister makes a triple chocolate cake from scratch, and that’s a meal within itself. My aunt likes to bring little cheesecake tarts, and she also makes homemade candy.
This dinner is a tradition as far back as I can remember as a child and when my grandmother started making Christmas dinner. My great grandmother started the ham and turkey tradition, and then passed it on to my grandmother, and then passed it on to my mom, and soon it’ll be me. Now I’m drooling, very hungry, and I’m going to eat lunch now. Merry Christmas