Original Hershey Factory
Chocolate at the time was not as we know it today. It was not easily available to everyone and did not have the creamy milky flavor that we know chocolate to be. Back when Milton Hershey was selling chocolate covered caramels and trying to sell chocolates on its own, the Swiss were the only ones who knew how to make the lighter and more delicate “milk chocolate”; but it was only for the wealthy. Milton Hershey was able to lower the per-unit cost of the chocolate and make milk chocolate affordable to everyone, not just the wealthy (Hershey Entertainment & Resorts). Milk chocolate at the time was what we refer to as dark chocolate. Hershey built a milk processor plant on the family farm in Derry Township, in 1896. He spent the next several years developing a formula for true milk chocolate. In 1899, Milton Hershey finalized the recipe he had been working on day and night on and became the first American to manufacture milk chocolate (Hershey Entertainment & Resorts). Milton Hershey started selling more than 100 different novelty items. An early slogan for Hershey chocolate was, “A palatable confection and a most nourishing food” (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). In 1901, Hershey sold the Lancaster Caramel Company for 1 million dollars in order to focus on a chocolate only company. Milton Hershey became the first person to mass produce milk chocolate and make it available and affordable for everyone. Milton Hershey returned to his home of Derry-Township to start his own chocolate company (Bozich, 2009).
Milton Hershey decided to build his chocolate company and town in Derry Township due to the land’s ripe farmland, hard-working people, and access to railroads and water (Bozich, 2009). Derry Township is located in Dauphin County and with the proximity to Harrisburg makes it part of the “Capitol Region”. But the town’s proximity to Lancaster and the heritage of the area makes if part of Pennsylvania Dutch (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). Milton Hershey was searching for an area to utilize the land’s natural components and to build not just a company, but a destination. Its location provided water supply, access to the railroads, fresh milk from the local cows, and skilled and dedicated workers (Bozich, 2009). The land in Derry Township was close to the ports of New York and Philadelphia that supplied the Hershey Factory with the sugar and cocoa that was needed (Hershey Entertainment & Resorts). The close proximity to ports, dairy cows, and being on the land his family had resided on for years made the land in Derry Township the perfect place to start the Hershey Company.
Milton Hershey decided to build his chocolate company and town in Derry Township due to the land’s ripe farmland, hard-working people, and access to railroads and water (Bozich, 2009). Derry Township is located in Dauphin County and with the proximity to Harrisburg makes it part of the “Capitol Region”. But the town’s proximity to Lancaster and the heritage of the area makes if part of Pennsylvania Dutch (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). Milton Hershey was searching for an area to utilize the land’s natural components and to build not just a company, but a destination. Its location provided water supply, access to the railroads, fresh milk from the local cows, and skilled and dedicated workers (Bozich, 2009). The land in Derry Township was close to the ports of New York and Philadelphia that supplied the Hershey Factory with the sugar and cocoa that was needed (Hershey Entertainment & Resorts). The close proximity to ports, dairy cows, and being on the land his family had resided on for years made the land in Derry Township the perfect place to start the Hershey Company.
Original Hershey Fctory and Start of Town
The original Hershey factory was built in 1905 and was designed to mass produce the chocolate. Hershey used specialized machinery developed and adapted by his factory workers. Milton Hershey decided to focus on fewer items than the 100 he had been currently selling. His focus was on the more popular items for mass production: plain and almond milk chocolate bars, Hershey Kisses, and breakfast cocoa. Hershey’s powdered cocoa has been manufactured since 1894 and is still one of the highest selling items. Hershey was also the first company to sell chocolate syrup for homes in 1926. Soon the need for an expansion of the factory was evident. In 1930, a new chocolate factory was starting construction. Two years later the new factory was finished and was able to create more products more efficiently (Odesser-Trophy, 2006).