Grandson of Reese’s founder alleges Hershey has – Business News
The grandson of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups creator is slamming the Hershey Co. for allegedly switching to cheaper ingredients to make the enduring snacks – and his accusations are sparking fierce pushback from his kin, The Post has discovered.
Brad Reese, 70 – whose grandfather HB Reese invented the well-known deal with – claimed Hershey has swapped out milk chocolate for affordable compound coating created from vegetable oils. He additionally claims Hershey has sneakily changed actual peanut butter with peanut-butter flavored cremes.
“I can’t just let it go. They’re lowering the quality of ingredients, charging the same price and probably giving you a smaller product size,” Reese, a retiree residing in West Palm Beach, advised The Post. “I’m really embarrassed as a member of the Reese family.”
Brad Reese, whose grandfather HB Reese created the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Brad Reese/Facebook
The Hershey Co. advised The Post its authentic Peanut Butter Cups are nonetheless made with peanut butter and milk chocolate – although it has made “recipe adjustments” in new merchandise that “allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for.”
“What consumer that you know of has said, ‘Hey, I don’t want milk chocolate in my Reese’s products anymore. I prefer compound coating!’” Reese shot back with a snort, including that the assertion doesn’t particularly deny altering ingredients in different Reese’s merchandise.
His LinkedIn posts blasting the alleged high quality compromises shortly went viral – and his cousin, whose daughter works for the Hershey Company, pleaded with him to stop in a heated textual content message.
“Brad, this is your cousin Becky. You have created a nightmare for our family and the company,” learn a copy of the textual content message obtained by The Post, which matched the telephone quantity for his cousin, Becky Hilgers.
“You might be in legal trouble because you’re [sic] unfounded negative comments have affected the price of the stock. It’s embarrassing to the entire Reese clan. Please stop!”
Reese claimed Hershey has switched out peanut butter for peanut butter cremes and milk chocolate for compound coatings. 4kclips – stock.adobe.com
The stock dipped about 0.9% Tuesday. It was poised to get better these losses on Wednesday.
Hilgers – a realtor based mostly within the Hershey, Pa., space – argued that Reese is simply being “spiteful,” acknowledging she in all probability upset him together with her textual content message.
“He’s an attention-getter,” Hilgers advised The Post. “He walks around everywhere he goes with a Reese’s jacket on just so people will make conversation with him. He’s bitter because his father blew through all the money he got and there was nothing left for his children.”
Reese shot back that Hilgers is simply involved about Hershey’s stock price.
Reese alleged a number of top-selling merchandise – together with Reese’s White Chocolate Cups, Fast Break, Take5, Nutrageous and Sticks – at the moment are made with coatings that use a lot low cost vegetable oil, they’ll no longer be categorised as chocolate.
Brad Reese (heart) with two ladies in a Facebook picture. Brad Reese/Facebook
Food security requirements throughout worldwide companies, together with the FDA, require a certain quantity of cocoa butter, not vegetable oil, to label a product as actual chocolate.
Reese chalked it up to an attempt to spice up revenue margins.
“I understand when it comes to my relatives’ pocketbooks, they would be concerned,” Reese advised The Post. “The greed of people and their money. I think they’d be okay with the ingredients being watered down as long as they’re gonna make more money.”
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The breaking level got here when Reese bought a bag of peanut butter-and-chocolate hearts, which had been a brand-new release from the company for Valentine’s Day, he mentioned.
“I had to throw it away. It wasn’t edible. I’ve never had to throw a Reese’s product in the garbage,” Reese advised The Post. “So that was my wake-up call, when I realized – wow, you can’t even eat this stuff.”
The official Hershey web site sells similarly-named merchandise like “White Creme Peanut Butter Easter Eggs” and “Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Creme Eggs.”
The Hershey Company mentioned its authentic Peanut Butter Cups are nonetheless made with peanut butter and milk chocolate. sheilaf2002 – stock.adobe.com
Asked to touch upon Reese’s allegations about ingredient adjustments, Hilgers mentioned: “I’m sure it’s not exactly what it was in 1957 or whatever, you know what I mean, but I have no idea. I can’t tell you yes or no to that, or even where he got that.”
But she added that her cousin’s vocal opposition to the company is nothing new, regardless that he’s “probably not stepped inside a Reese’s plant in 30 or 40 years.”
Reese mentioned it’s largely a matter of sneaky labeling from Reese’s, calling ingredients “peanut butter creme” as a substitute of “peanut butter,” or “white creme” as a substitute of “white chocolate.”
The Valentine’s Day product he bought, for instance, is bought as “Unwrapped Chocolate Peanut Butter Creme Mini Hearts” on the Walmart web site.
Reese added that Hilgers can also be doubtless involved that her daughter, who works for Hershey, “takes a lot of flack” from coworkers over his feedback.
“It’s just ridiculous. He’s been told in the past by the legal department at Hershey: Cease and desist with this nonsense,” Hilgers advised The Post.
Hilgers’ daughter didn’t reply to The Post’s request for remark.
