Hershey, Pennsylvania.

We took a fun and informative journey through the world of chocolate, learning about its history and how it’s made. Driving through Pennsylvania, there are many historical sights; Philadelphia alone has the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the birthplace of the U.S. Constitution. I won’t even bring up Rocky Balboa… oops, I guess I did.

The Hershey, Pennsylvania, planned community is about two hours from Philadelphia. The charming town is renowned for its connection to chocolate. Founded by the candy magnate Milton S. Hershey, it’s a company town designed for the chocolate plant’s factory workers. Of course, we had to stop and learn about the city and the production of chocolate. Production stats are proprietary, but the information provided on the Hershey website notes that twelve factories are located around the United States, two of which are in Hershey. The West Hershey plant opened in 2012 and produces more than 70 million Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolates daily! Of course, many other chocolate products are manufactured in the two plants.

Hershey offers a variety of attractions for all ages. Hersheypark is a popular amusement park with roller coasters, water rides, and other attractions. Too old for an amusement park and don’t have any grandkids at hand? You can unwind with spa treatments, golf, and fine dining at The Hotel Hershey. Nature lovers will appreciate Hershey Gardens’s beautiful gardens, and the butterfly house.

None of that was of interest to our group. We were most interested in the factory tour. As it turned out, they don’t offer the typical factory tour. In hindsight, that’s understandable. They don’t want thousands of people close to the clean areas designed to make and process food for human consumption.

Instead, they have an amusement park ride with “cars” holding a few people passing dioramas that tell the Hershey story. The free tour keeps the dioramas entertaining with lots of animation to keep the attention of younger visitors.

A little music entertains and helps to tell the story of how cocoa beans are transformed into chocolate in simple terms. Chocolate production involves complex steps, including roasting, winnowing, grinding, and tempering, but their dioramas make learning about the process enjoyable.

When we finished the tour, we were routed through their candy store (surprise!) Of course, we walked back to our car with plenty of chocolate products. Fortunately, a cooler was handy in our vehicle to keep the chocolate from melting before we could eat it.

The Hershey Company is a significant economic driver, employing thousands of people and contributing to local and national economies. However, that economic significance was lost on us as we delved into the world of chocolate manufacturing and explored chocolate-making the Hershey Way since 1894. By 1900, they sold their first candy bars.

Today, their portfolio of brands has expanded beyond the iconic Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar to a wide variety of confections. Some popular brands under the Hershey umbrella include Reese’s, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, Jolly Rancher, Almond Joy, Mounds, and many more. They also produce a variety of gum, mints, and licorice products.

John Steiner