Milton Hershey
Founder of The Hershey Company
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1857, Derry Township, Pennsylvania
- Company
- The Hershey Company
- The Hershey Company founded
- 1894
- Industry
- Food
- Known for
- Founding The Hershey Company
- Big break
- Lancaster Caramel Company
- Famous gamble
- Affordable milk chocolate
- Legacy
- The Milton Hershey School
Early Life
Milton Hershey was born in 1857 in rural Pennsylvania, near a little place called Derry Church. His family moved around a lot when he was a boy, which meant he barely went to school. By the time he was a teenager, he'd had almost no formal education at all.
What he did get was an apprenticeship to a candy maker. He spent his teenage years learning how to boil sugar, pour it, and shape it into something people would pay for. That hands-on training ended up mattering far more to him than any classroom would have.
Failing at Candy
Once Milton knew how to make candy, he wanted his own shop. So he started one. It failed. He tried again somewhere else, and that failed too. He kept opening candy businesses, and they kept closing, year after year, leaving him broke more than once.
Then he started the Lancaster Caramel Company, and this time it worked. His caramels were soft and creamy because he used fresh milk, and people loved them. After all those failures, Milton finally had a candy business that made real money.
Betting on Chocolate
At a big fair, Milton saw German machines that made chocolate, and he couldn't stop thinking about them. Back then chocolate was a fancy treat that only wealthy people could afford. Milton wanted to change that and make a chocolate bar cheap enough for ordinary families.
So he did something bold. He sold his successful caramel company and put the money into chocolate instead. He worked for years to figure out how to make smooth milk chocolate in large amounts, and once he cracked it, he could sell it cheaply because he made so much of it. The plain Hershey's milk chocolate bar became a treat almost anyone could buy.
A Town and a School
Milton built his giant chocolate factory in the Pennsylvania farm country where he grew up. Then he built a whole town around it. He added homes for his workers, plus schools, parks, and other things families needed, and the town came to be called Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Milton and his wife Catherine never had children of their own. So they started a school for orphan boys and poured their fortune into it. That school still runs today as the Milton Hershey School, and when Milton died in 1945, most of his money was already set aside to keep it going.
What Milton Teaches Us
Milton failed at candy over and over before anything went right. He could have quit after the first shop closed, or the second, or the third. He kept going, and the skills he picked up during all those failures are exactly what made the Lancaster Caramel Company work.
He also cared about more than money. He wanted regular kids to afford chocolate, and he wanted his workers to have good homes and his town to have schools. A boy with almost no schooling built one of the most famous candy companies on Earth and gave most of it away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Hershey's?
Hershey's was founded by Milton Hershey, an American candy maker born in 1857. After several failed candy businesses, he succeeded with caramels and then bet everything on milk chocolate. He built The Hershey Company in Pennsylvania.
Who invented the Hershey bar?
Milton Hershey created the Hershey's milk chocolate bar. He spent years working out how to make smooth milk chocolate in large amounts so it could be sold cheaply. His goal was a chocolate bar that ordinary families could afford.
How did Milton Hershey start?
Milton Hershey started as a teenage apprentice to a candy maker, since he'd had almost no formal schooling. He opened several candy shops that failed before his Lancaster Caramel Company finally succeeded. He later sold that company to focus on chocolate.
Where is Hershey chocolate from?
Hershey chocolate comes from Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town Milton Hershey built around his chocolate factory. He chose the Pennsylvania farm country near where he grew up. The town included homes, schools, and parks for the factory workers.
Did Milton Hershey have kids?
No. Milton Hershey and his wife Catherine had no children of their own. Instead, they founded a school for orphan boys, which still operates today as the Milton Hershey School.
What is the Milton Hershey School?
The Milton Hershey School is a school that Milton and Catherine Hershey founded for orphans. Because they had no children, they left most of Milton's fortune to support it. The school still runs today.
When was Hershey's founded?
The Hershey Company traces its founding to 1894. Milton Hershey had already built a successful caramel business before turning his attention fully to milk chocolate. He sold the caramel company to bet everything on chocolate.
How did Milton Hershey make chocolate cheaper?
Milton Hershey made chocolate cheaper by figuring out how to produce smooth milk chocolate in very large amounts. Making so much of it brought the cost down. That let him sell a chocolate bar ordinary families could afford, instead of a luxury only the wealthy could buy.
Where was Milton Hershey born?
Milton Hershey was born in 1857 in rural Pennsylvania, near a place called Derry Church, in what is now Derry Township. His family moved around a lot during his childhood. He had very little formal schooling as a result.
What businesses failed before Hershey's?
Before he succeeded, Milton Hershey started several candy businesses that failed. He kept trying in different places, going broke more than once. His first real success was the Lancaster Caramel Company, which he later sold to focus on chocolate.
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