Reese Descendant Criticizes Hershey’s Use of Cheaper Ingredients

A descendant of the creator of Reese’s candy bars posted an open letter to a Hershey official criticizing the company’s use of cheaper ingredients in products.

“Today, Reese’s identity is being rewritten … by formulation decisions that replace milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut butter-style crèmes across multiple Reese’s products,” wrote Brad Reese, grandson of H. B. Reese, who invented the candy brand.

He addressed the letter, posted on his LinkedIn account, to Todd Scott, whom he identified as manager of Corporate Brand & Editorial. The letter was dated Feb. 14 -- Valentine's Day.

“As someone who has spent his career shaping narratives, elevating reputations and stewarding brand meaning, you understand better than most that a story only works when it is anchored in truth.

“So, I have to ask: How does The Hershey Company continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (milk chocolate + peanut butter) that built Reese's trust in the first place?

“This isn’t a supply chain question. It’s a brand governance question. It’s about whether The Hershey Company's corporate narrative is allowed to drift away from Reese's product reality. It’s about whether consumers are being asked to believe a story that no longer matches what’s inside the Reese's orange wrapper.

“It’s about whether Reese's, the world’s No. 1 chocolate brand, is being protected or diluted.

“As the grandson of the man who created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I’m not asking for nostalgia. I’m asking for alignment. For truth in Reese's brand stewardship. For a corporate narrative from The Hershey Company that reflects the Reese's product consumers are actually receiving.

“Because if Reese’s is going to remain the emotional equity anchor of The Hershey Company, then the story cannot be stronger than the ingredients.”

There are, of course, dozens more Reese’s products than the chocolate cup created by Brad Reese’s grandfather H. B. Reese. We asked Hershey to comment on the letter and the allegation of analogues for chocolate and peanut butter. By end of day today (Feb. 17) we hadn’t heard back. When we do, we will add their comments.