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Milton Snavely Hershey
Have you ever just sat there eating a Hershey bar and wondered, who created such an amazing tasteful candy bar? Its impressive how the Hershey Company came to be from a person who did not get a well education, but yet kept going to find success. Milton S. Hershey’s continuous effort in candy making was revealed through his early years, his drive for success, and winning the title “The Chocolate King.”
Born in September 3, 1857, in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, Milton S. Hershey being the only child was influenced by both of his parents. They both influenced him to perseverance and chasing dreams for success. Having this mindset, Hershey and his parents moved a lot throughout his childhood making Milton’s education limited and only enabled him up to the fourth grade. In 1871,at the age of fourteen, Milton was put to work to become a printer apprentice for a German-English newspaper, but working as a printer really did not fascinate him. In 1873, Hershey’s mother found him a new job. Milton Hershey became apprenticed to Joseph Royer, a Lancaster County confectioner, where he would learn to make candy(Polyak). Hershey then found his special interest for candy making.
Hershey decided to establish his first candy store at the age of eighteen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During that time, it was the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he knew people we going to come and so he took the opportunity to sell his candy. It was a chance to put his business out there and achieve that success. Unfortunately, after putting so much work into the store and having the support from his family, he knew that his store was a failure. After somewhat disappointed, he decided to move to Denver, Colorado, his dad was living there after the separation with his mother. Hershey had been told about the great prosperity in the West, so he set out to find it. Hershey learned new things living in Colorado, he learned the secret in making caramels with fresh milk. Following his new insight, he tried opening more businesses in Chicago, New Orleans, and New York, but yet success never came and those businesses became failures. Hershey struggled to maintain those businesses, he could never keep up with the bills, therefore leading to a definite downfall. Yet Hershey never seemed to give up, at the age of twenty-nine, he moved back to Pennsylvania and he opened the Lancaster Caramel Company. Although the Lancaster Caramel Company business ran slow, Hershey did not give up on it. Hershey did not have any capital just as the other businesses, but that was not the end of the caramel company. Four years later that business came to success. Hershey was shipping his caramels all over the country. The Lancaster Caramel Company became one of the leading manufacturers of caramel in the United States, and Hershey became a rich famous man.
Who knew a visit to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago would make someone’s life a turning point to an even more successful life. In 1893, Hershey attended the exposition, and was immediately hooked on a German chocolate making exhibit. He was captivated by the idea of chocolate making, so he purchased the equipment, shipped it back to the Lancaster Caramel company, and started making chocolate himself. Focusing on the chocolate making, he sold the Lancaster Caramel Company for one million dollars. That money was later used to start funding his new company, the Hershey Company. The Hershey Company would become one of the very well know chocolate making business in the world making fortunes. Hershey decided to build this factory on a farmland where he originally came from, Derry Township, Pennsylvania. It would become a new course in the candy industry. The location resulted quite beneficial, since the port cities could provide him with the cocoa beans and sugar. As well, the farm lands around would help him The construction of the Hershey Company began in 1894, and two years later was finished. It had also taken a while making the perfect recipe for making milk chocolate. Hershey only concentrated in making one specific milk chocolate bar called, “Nickel” bar, which was introduced in the 1900’s. Hershey priced the chocolate bar a nickel so people could afford purchasing it, and it turned out a success. Immediately there were rising sales, and the nickel bar also known as the Hershey bar, was a hit to America. The company also produced its famous Hershey Kisses, and each day about sixty million were produced. Later on more products such as the Hershey syrup, Hershey’s miniature chocolates, Hershey with almonds were also introduced. As the company grew so did his wealth, he had become the richest man. Hershey used the money to travel the world with his wife.
Hershey also did good deeds for people, his success led him to create a community for his home region. Hershey created "Hersey Town "mostly for his employees. Milton Hershey philosophy included taking care of the workers in his employ ( Seebeck). In this town he built many things such as schools, parks, churches, recreational facilities, and of course housing for the employees that would be affordable. Hershey was the man of the people, when the Great Depression came around he did not let the community fall. The factory survived the Great Depression in the 1930's and it was still running strong afterwards ( Kudra).
One of the significant things Hershey did was build the Milton S. Hershey School, for orphaned boys in 1909. Hershey and his wife wanted the boys to have a stable home for them to live in and a good education. Hershey had a limited education but his successful life gave opportunity for those boys to have one, and have the privilege to learn. After knowing that they could not have any children, his ambition yet again was to help those in need and make a difference in their lives. Hershey always used his fortune to provide everyone with a positive difference.
In the final years of Hershey’s life there were sad and happy endings. In 1919 Hershey’s beloved wife passed away, it was an unexpected death. After the death he decided to give all of his fortune made from his Hershey company to the Hershey School. The estimated amount given towards the school was a total of sixty million dollars. In the ending years of his life he created more buildings in Hershey town so that men could keep working. He also supported the military during World War 2, by giving them chocolate bars called the “Ration Bars.” The Hershey Company produced more than a billion ration bars for the troops. Finally Milton Snavely Hershey passed away October 13, 1945 at the age of eighty. Hershey left behind a well known company, still known today as the Hershey Food Corporation selling and making millions of the iconic Hershey Bars in 90 countries around the world. There are attractions in Pennsylvania known as Hershey Park, Hershey Chocolate World, which has been created in New York, and Las Vegas, and a Hershey Museum. Places created to remember the “Chocolate King.”
In conclusion, Milton Snavely Hershey impacted the industry in candy making with the popular Hershey Bar. Growing up with limited education led him to prosper in what became his passion for chocolate making. His ambitions helped people who were in need, and who were in his position when he was growing up. Hershey clearly wanted to avoid them growing up just as he did. Milton S. Hershey’s continuous effort in candy making was revealed through his early years, his drive for success, and winning the title “The Chocolate King.”
