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So many players abound in the industry of chocolates, and through the entire history of chocolates, they were Hershey’s and Nestle that more or less, monopolized the major market shares in the chocolate industry.
Hershey
Where did the unique name of Hershey’s really come from? What is the relevance of the name to the chocolates, anyway? It has been said that it was after a man who made the delicious chocolates which we now call and popularly know as Hershey’s. That is why it is only fit to name a town in honor of the man who created one of the oldest and most stable chocolate companies in the United States. Milton S. Hershey began an apprentice confectioner in 1876, and braved to establish his own business which drastically failed in a matter of years. He returned to Pennsylvania from New York and tried his hand at selling caramel candies which he sold in 1900 to venture into chocolates once again. He then introduced the famous Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar which became a phenomenal success.
In 1907, chocolates dropped to form a flat bottom and cone shape with tips was introduced as Hershey’s Kisses which were painstakingly wrapped by hand one by one. It was only in 1921 that the packaging machine for Hershey’s kisses was invented and therefore, started making the process much easier. Then they soon added the signature white ribbon that we saw as a kid, and still see, as a guarantee of a genuine Hershey product.
And today, the company is not just famous for the bar and the little mounds of chocolate kisses. Chocolates such as Reese’s, Mr. Goodbar, Hershey’s Minatures and Cadbury are only few of the most popular brands that are original Hershey’s.
Nestle
Unlike the other four companies, Nestle did not start as a chocolate manufacturer. In 1860’s, a pharmacist named Henri Nestle developed a food for premature babies which catapulted his popularity in Europe with the product called Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé.
In the early 1900’s, Nestle joined forces with a milk company and by the time World War I broke out, the demand for their products increased substantially. The same milk that they produced was used by Daniel Peter, a friend of Nestle, who used the found the correct ratio of milk to chocolates. Milk Chocolates were manufactured in 1904.
Nestle after World War II
When the Second World War broke out, Nestle was affected with sales on their dairy products dropping from $20million to just about $6 million in a year. Steadfast, Nestle introduced what they thought would be popular amongst the military currently waged against each other, Nescafe.
Year after the war, Nestle acquired many companies and ventured into other types of products. It is believed to be the first company ever to develop the right mixture of milk and chocolate and is now famous for products such as Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger and Nestle Toll Houses.
It’s been a century since men of great imagination found a way to mass-produce what was once only available to the nobles. They managed not only to give simple man a taste of the wonderful chocolate, but they also brought forth the brands we still enjoy today. The history of chocolate is truly as rich as its taste, and certainly more generations still yet to come shall continue to enjoy the tasty goodness of chocolates.
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