Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Inventor Grandson Accuses Hershey Of Cutting Corners

The grandson of nan inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has lashed retired astatine The Hershey Co., accusing nan candy institution of hurting nan Reese’s marque by shifting to cheaper ingredients successful galore products.

Hershey acknowledges immoderate look changes but said Wednesday that it was trying to meet user request for innovation. High cocoa prices besides person led Hershey and different manufacturers to research pinch utilizing little cocoa successful caller years.

Brad Reese, 70, said successful a Feb. 14 missive to Hershey’s firm marque head that for aggregate Reese’s products, nan institution replaced beverage cocoa pinch compound coatings and peanut food pinch peanut crème.

“How does The Hershey Co. proceed to position Reese’s arsenic its flagship brand, a awesome of trust, value and leadership, while softly replacing nan very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese’s spot successful nan first place?” Reese wrote successful nan letter, which he posted connected his LinkedIn profile.

He is nan grandson of H.B. Reese, who spent 2 years astatine Hershey earlier forming his ain candy institution successful 1919. H.B. Reese invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups successful 1928; his six sons yet sold his institution to Hershey successful 1963.

Hershey said Wednesday that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made nan aforesaid measurement they ever person been, pinch beverage cocoa and peanut food that nan institution makes itself from roasted peanuts and a fewer different ingredients, including sweetener and salt. But immoderate Reese’s ingredients vary, Hershey said.

“As we’ve grown and expanded nan Reese’s merchandise line, we make merchandise look adjustments that let america to make caller shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans person travel to emotion and inquire for, while ever protecting nan principle of what makes Reese’s unsocial and special: nan cleanable operation of cocoa and peanut butter,” nan institution said.

Brad Reese said he thinks Hershey went excessively far. He said he precocious threw retired a container of Reese’s Mini Hearts, which were a caller merchandise released for Valentine’s Day. The packaging notes that nan heart-shaped candies are made from “chocolate candy and peanut food crème,” not beverage cocoa and peanut butter.

“It was not edible,” Reese told The Associated Press successful an interview. “You person to understand. I utilized to eat a Reese’s merchandise each day. This is very devastating for me.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has strict constituent and labeling requirements for chocolate. To beryllium considered beverage chocolate, products must incorporate astatine slightest 10% cocoa liquor, which is simply a paste made from crushed cocoa beans and contains nary alcohol. Products besides must incorporate astatine slightest 12% beverage solids and 3.39% beverage fat.

Companies tin get astir those rules by utilizing different wording connected their packaging. The wrapper for Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar, for example, contains nan words “chocolate candy” alternatively of “milk chocolate.”

Reese said Hershey changed nan recipes for aggregate Reese’s products successful caller years. Reese’s Take5 and Fast Break bars utilized to beryllium coated pinch beverage chocolate, he said, but now they aren’t. In nan early 2000’s, erstwhile Hershey released White Reese’s, they were made pinch achromatic chocolate. Now they’re made pinch a achromatic creme, he said.

Reese said Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups sold successful Europe, nan United Kingdom and Ireland are besides different than U.S. versions. On Wednesday, a package advertised connected nan website of British online supermarket Ocado described nan candy arsenic “milk chocolate-flavored coating and peanut food crème.”

Hershey disputed that. The institution said nan Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups it sells successful nan European Union and nan United Kingdom usage nan aforesaid look arsenic nan U.S. version. The labels alteration because nan EU and nan U.K. some require beverage cocoa products to person higher percentages of cocoa, beverage solids and beverage fats, Hershey said.

In a convention telephone pinch investors past year, Hershey Chief Financial Officer Steven Voskuil said nan institution made immoderate changes successful its formulas. Voskuil did not opportunity for which products but said Hershey was very observant to support nan “taste floor plan and nan specialness of our iconic brands.”

“I would opportunity successful each nan changes that we’ve made frankincense far, location has been nary user effect whatsoever. As you tin imagine, moreover connected nan smallest marque successful nan portfolio, if we were to make a change, there’s extended user testing,” he said.

But Brad Reese said he often has group show him that Reese’s products don’t sensation arsenic bully arsenic they utilized to. He said Pennsylvania-based Hershey should support successful mind a celebrated quote from its founder, Milton Hershey: “Give them quality, that’s nan champion advertising.”

“I perfectly judge successful innovation, but my penchant is invention pinch quality,” Reese said.

Durbin writes for nan Associated Press.