Reese's rules Halloween candy

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were the top Halloween candy in Instacart's and DoorDash's order data last year. A third of October candy sales occur in the final week.

Nearly a century of orange wrappers

H.B. Reese, a former dairy farmer and shipping foreman for chocolatier Milton Hershey, mixed chocolate and peanut butter and started selling candy from his home. The product quickly exploded in popularity.

The recipe change debate begins

Connoisseurs questioned whether Reese's recipe had changed, sparking a public dispute between H.B. Reese's grandson Brad Reese and the Hershey Company, which bought his grandfather's invention.

Brad Reese's accusation

Brad Reese, 71, living in West Palm Beach, Florida, spent eight months accusing Hershey of cheapening the candy his grandfather invented. His cousin Becky Hilgers, speaking for the family, wants him to stop.

Brad Reese's harsh words

Hershey's killing Hershey. This is not the Hershey Company. It's not the H.B. Reese candy. It's not my company. My grandfather founded it. It is a total imitation. It's a fraud.

“Hershey's killing Hershey. This is not the Hershey Company. It's not the H.B. Reese candy. It's a fraud.”

Reese's is Hershey's flagship

Reese's became Hershey's top seller in 1969 and has remained so ever since. It brings in three billion dollars a year, roughly a quarter of the company's sales.

The family's stake in Hershey

H.B. Reese's six sons merged his company into Hershey in 1963. Hershey exchanged six hundred sixty-six thousand three hundred sixteen shares of its stock for the Reese company, a deal worth about twenty-three million dollars…

Valentine's Day letter sparks outrage

On February 14, Brad Reese opened a bag of Reese's Unwrapped Mini Hearts, tried one, threw them out, and posted an open letter on LinkedIn questioning how Hershey could position Reese's as its flagship brand…

The post finds its audience

Brad Reese's letter resonated with consumers who reported the candy tasted gross, waxy, and chemical. Some said they switched to competitors like Justins, which they said still uses real peanut butter.

Hershey's initial response

In February, Hershey acknowledged some recipe adjustments were made to accommodate new shapes, sizes, and innovations. A spokesperson said the peanut butter cups are made the same way they always have been.

What actually changed

The classic cups in two, three, and four-cup packs, king-size, and seasonal shapes like pumpkins have not changed. What did change were extensions: foil-wrapped molded shapes, Reese's Minis, Reese's Thins, and Reese's Sticks.

The coating swap explained

Those extensions moved to a cocoa butter equivalent coating, which by law must be labeled chocolate candy rather than milk chocolate. Such coatings swap some or all cocoa butter for vegetable oils and cost less.

Kirk Tanner arrives at Hershey

CEO Kirk Tanner, who spent decades at PepsiCo and about seventeen months as CEO of Wendy's, arrived in August 2025 after West African harvests failed and cocoa hit record prices.

Hershey promises a 2027 fix

Six weeks after Brad Reese's letter, at its March 31 investor day, Hershey said all Hershey's and Reese's offerings would be made consistent with their brand's classic milk and dark chocolate recipes by 2027.

Brad Reese calls it a stall

Brad Reese said the 2027 promise is a brilliant public relations stunt and total bunk.

“They could go back to the original recipe in three days. They're just kicking the can down the road. It's a stall.”

Hershey defends the timeline

Hershey said making and evolving products within a global snacking portfolio takes time. Each decision moves through extensive consumer testing and requires careful coordination across sourcing, manufacturing, equipment and packaging.

The family divides over Brad

In April, after Brad Reese called the 2027 plan a stunt on NewsNation, Hershey gave Fox Business a statement from the Reese family saying they had no involvement in nor support for his claims.

Becky Hilgers defends Hershey

Becky Hilgers, whose mother was H.B. Reese's youngest daughter, said the integrity of the candy has not changed drastically. She and her cousins trust Hershey to be the caretaker of the brand.

Brad Reese stands firm

Brad Reese said his grandfather invented one of the world's most iconic chocolate candies and Hershey has admitted to changing the recipe on products bearing his last name.

“You can't trust the Reese's logo. I feel total betrayal, and I'm not gonna sit idly by while they trade on my grandfather's legacy.”