100 Crystal A Drive Hershey, PA 17033 800-468-1714

Fact Sheet
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Feb. 15, 2022 Emma Knauf
Public Relations Director
908-300-1365
eknauf@hersheys.com

The Hershey Company Fact Sheet

Background Information
• The Hershey Company is an American confectionary manufacturer best known for its
chocolate, non-chocolate and snack products around the world.
• It has over 16,880 employees and 90+ brands.
• The company has plant locations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan,
Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.
• The company is guided by its vision to become “an innovative snacking powerhouse.”
• Its vision is backed by four interconnected strategies, which are “driving growth by
capturing more snacking occasions, profitable and sustainable international expansion,
operating with best-in-class capabilities and partnerships, investing in people and
communities.”

Company History
• In 1894, Milton Hershey founded the Lancaster Caramel Company, with the Hershey
Chocolate Company as a subsidiary.
• In 1900, the production of Hershey’s milk chocolate bars began, and Hershey made the
decision to sell the LCC to focus on the development of the Hershey Company.
• In 1927, the company became publicly traded (HSY).
• In 1973, Hershey’s Chocolate World opened, the company’s first retail center.
• In 1996, the Hershey Company acquired Leaf, Inc. and began its expansion into non-
chocolate candies and snacks.
• In 2008, the company reached $5 billion in sales.
• Michele Buck has been the CEO, chairman and president of the company since 2017.

Key Products
• Chocolate: Hershey’s Chocolate Bars, Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Kit
Kats, York Peppermint Patties
• Non-Chocolate: Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers, Ice Breakers, Breath Savers
• Snacks: SkinnyPop popcorn, Pirate’s Booty, Paqui, barkTHINS, ONE bars
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• In response to the Black Lives Matter movement and rise of systemic racism in the
United States during 2020, the company worked with diverse groups of employees to
refresh its DEI strategy. This led to the development of The Pathways Project, a five-year
plan to help the company create more pathways to join, reach out and grow.
• More pathways to JOIN:
o To bring in unique talent and perspectives, the company has a new hiring policy,
requiring that interviewers and the portfolio of candidates are 50% diverse. It has
also expanded its remote opportunities to ensure everyone, no matter their
location or situation, has a place in the company.
• More pathways to REACH OUT:
o The Hershey Company is dedicated to supporting its customers and their
communities. It has increased its efforts to improve access to education in
struggling communities and take part in volunteer opportunities.
• More pathways to GROW:
o The company has updated its unconscious bias training and developed mentorship
and leadership opportunities for talent that was previously unrepresented.
• The Hershey Company achieved 1:1 aggregate gender pay equity in 2020 and 1:1
aggregate POC pay equity in 2021.
• In 2020, 21% of Hershey employees identified as people of color, and 48.1% of
employees were women.

Sustainability
• The Hershey Company’s strategy for sustainability is its Shared Goodness Promise,
which helps ensure the company is supporting the communities where its resources come
from and protecting the environment while meeting the demands of customers and
stakeholders.
• The company is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint, and it has acted by investing
in renewable energy and creating better packaging solutions.
o In 2020, the Hershey Company reduced 2.26 million pounds of packaging, and
77% of its packaging was recyclable.
• The company is passionate about supporting children and teens globally, and it has done
so with The Heartwarming Project. The project is dedicated to helping young people
develop social, emotional and leadership skills that will prepare them for a bright future.
o In 2020, over 6.7 million children were impacted through The Heartwarming
Project partnerships.
• The Hershey Company also made donations totaling to $16.9 million in 2020.

Awards
• The World’s Top Female-Friendly Company (Forbes, 2021)
• No. 10 on Top 50 Companies for Diversity (DiversityInc, 2021)
• Recognized on America’s Most JUST Companies (JUST Capital and CNBC, 2022)
• Fortune 500 (2021)

Mission Statement: “Make more moments of goodness.”

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