Weird Facts about Hershey's® Syrup

• Hershey's Syrup is named for company founder Milton Hershey. In 1900, inspired by a new chocolate-making machine he had seen at the 1893 Chicago Exposition, Milton Hershey sold his caramel company for one million dollars to start a chocolate factory in Derry Church, Pennsylvania, to manufacture America's first mass-marketed five-cent chocolate bar. In 1905, the factory was completed and Hershey began producing individually wrapped Hershey's milk chocolate bars, followed by Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses in 1907, the Mr. Goodbar candy bar in 1925, and Hershey's Syrup in 1926.
• Derry Church, Pennsylvania, the home of Hershey's Foods, was renamed Hershey in 1906.
• In 1909, Milton Hershey and his wife founded the Milton Hershey School, a school for orphaned children near the chocolate plant. In 1918 Hershey donated the entire Hershey's Chocolate Corporation to the Milton Hershey School, and for years the company existed solely to fund the school. Although Hershey Foods is now publicly traded, the Milton Hershey School still controls the company. Former Hershey's Food chairman William Dearden (1976-84) was a Hershey School graduate, as are many Hershey employees.
• During the Depression, Milton Hershey put people to work by building a hotel, golf courses, a library, theaters, a museum, a stadium, and other facilities in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
• The universally popular Hershey bar was used overseas during World War II as currency.
• Milton Hershey refused to advertise his product, convinced that quality would speak for itself. Even after Hershey's death in 1945, the company refused to advertise—until 1970, when Hershey began losing sales to Mars.
• The Hershey bar is one of the most widely recognized products in the world.
• In 1990, during Operation Desert Storm, Hershey Foods sent 144,000 "heat-resistant" milk chocolate Desert Bars—capable of withstanding up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit—to American troops in Saudi Arabia.
• In 1993, Hershey introduced Hugs, a white-and-dark chocolate product shaped like Hershey's Kisses.
• In 1995, MCI teamed up with Hershey to offer free long-distance calling to consumers who bought an 8-ounce or larger bag of Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Hugs, or other chocolate products.
• Hershey's Syrup is the best-selling chocolate syrup in the world.