HERSHEY, Pa. — Visit any grocery store in the world and there it is: a candy aisle full of Hershey products. Whether it's Hershey’s Kisses, Reese's peanut butter bars or Kit Kats, the Hershey's brand is the most popular chocolate brand in the world.
In Hershey, Pennsylvania, the history of cocoa-fused deliciousness is celebrated at Hershey's Chocolate World, a conglomeration of five specific centers that host – get this – 3 million visitors each year.
Milton Hershey was an innovator, candy maker and philanthropist. His cocoa-based factory gave tours as far back as the turn of the 20th century, but by 1973, the company built a standalone visitor center that has now grown substantially and is the welcome point to chocolate history and manufacturing.
Matt Spencer helps to create great experiences for guests. He said Milton Hershey's grace and concern for the community around him made this all work.
“One of my favorite stories is when the Great Depression hit, of course, he had to lay people off from the factory, but that didn't mean they had to stop working,” Spencer said. “He rehired them and started building these major projects around town, including the ice arena, the stadium, the hotel up on the hill, and all of them are still here today. So, he made sure that the depression never truly hit the town of Hershey.”
Spencer said they have first-, second- and third-generation employees, with some who’ve been at the facility since it first opened its doors in 1973.
It was 1973 when this all expanded into a part-Disney, part-General Motors experience for guests, but it started at the beginning of the Hershey brand's prominence.
Chuck’s Big Adventure in Pennsylvania: Hershey's Chocolate World
"Milton was ahead of his time in the beginning,” Spencer said. “He was getting tours at the original factory, and ultimately, what birthed Chocolate World's creation was the fact that they were outgrowing having tours in the original factory. He had to come up with a new facility, a new place to invite guests into the world of Hershey's chocolate. "
Now, 51 years later, Chocolate World is a potpourri of an amusement park, a restaurant, a museum, a trolly tour and, of course, the famous factory tour and gift shop.
As guests ride along the free factory tour, a ride inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion, they get a look at the large amounts of chocolate needed to develop their beloved famous candies. From picking the beans to processing the treats, this is an all-systems-go fun ride that makes the process interesting and exciting at the same time.
Guests always have questions, but one of the most common is: why milk chocolate?
“It all depends on how much cacao is in the product,” Spencer said. “Milk chocolate has anywhere between 20% and 30%. That is our most popular. Then we have special dark, which has 45% cacao. That is the amount that is required to be considered a special dark bar. We have our white cream bars, and I'm sure you're familiar with our cookies and cream bar.”
Some lucky visitors can have their own special candy bars made with ingredients they pick and gift boxes they design. They can shop for hard-to-get chocolates from other parts of the world at the chocolate store, but most importantly, they can learn.
Learning is a big part of the experience for tens of thousands of children who visit here every year.
“We have a lot of school groups come to visit,” Spencer said. “We have special education programs that we’ve produced over the years that reach certain age levels.”
The tour and store and making your own candy line are fun, tasty experiences, but they also bring back another time, a time when memories were made with the taste of a Reese's cup or a square from a Hershey’s bar. To grow, though, the company must innovate, and they certainly are doing just that.
“We have teams who specifically only do innovation. They're pushing the envelope with Kit Kat, with Reese's,” Spencer said. “We have our own innovation team here at Chocolate World who create products just for us, where the caramels came from.”
Hershey's Chocolate World is a place to smile. Smile at the satisfaction of a bite from your favorite piece of chocolate and smile at the fact that the same simple pleasure that made you happy did the same for someone 150 years ago.