Expanding Iconic Brands and Exploring New Flavors: The Hershey Company Reveals Innovations at Annual Sweets & Snacks Expo

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

For more than 120 years, The Hershey Company HSY and its iconic brands have delighted people with products they love. The company's more than 80 brands offer devoted fans a variety of tastes and textures. To meet the changing needs of their consumers, the company is continuing to evolve and innovate across their portfolios to provide delicious, great-tasting products. These latest innovations will debut this week at the National Confectioners Association's annual Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago held May 24-26, 2016.

"Our innovation starts with the consumer," said Michele Buck, President North America, The Hershey Company. "As their lifestyle and taste profiles change, we innovate even our most iconic brands' portfolios, to make sure we're providing them with products that fit their evolving needs. At this year's Sweets & Snacks Expo, we're debuting several new innovations that feature fresh takes on favorite confections as well as on-the-go snacks with a variety of tastes and textures."

Confection at its Core

A confection company at its roots, Hershey is bringing consumers new ways to enjoy some of its most beloved and iconic brands. Hershey is introducing Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups, a mash-up of two of its most iconic and beloved products – Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with Reese's Pieces Candies in every bite. This new innovation was devised as a way to combine the peanut butter tastes and textures that consumers love about the Reese's brands into an entirely new confection experience.

The company is also expanding the portfolios of some of its newer brands with flavorful confection innovations, including the launch of Brookside Tablet Bars in three intriguing and extraordinary combinations: Blueberry Almond with Acai Flavor, Cranberry Almond with Blood Orange Flavor and Mango Coconut Crisp.

Leader in "Snackfection"

Using more than a century of innovation and confectionery experience, Hershey is evolving to fit changing consumer tastes and eating habits with the introduction of new "snackfection" products. These appeal to consumers looking for variety in their snacks with a full sensory experience that combines the sweet flavors Hershey is known for with salty and crunchy elements while permitting for on-the-go elements to make snacking more convenient for consumers.

At the Sweets & Snacks Expo, Hershey will be sampling new Brookside Yogurt-Flavored Fruit and Nut Bars, and Brookside Dark Chocolate Fruit and Yogurt Bars. These two products were introduced after the success of the multi-sensory, multi-textural Brookside Crunchy Clusters, as Hershey recognized the desire among consumers for a wholesome, snack option that combines sweet and salty flavors with extraordinary textures that is also made with simple, familiar ingredients.

In addition to wholesome ingredients, like almonds, Brookside Yogurt Flavored Fruit & Nut Bars are gluten-free, non-GMO bars that contain no artificial flavors.

Hershey will also highlight varieties of their new snack bites and mixes varieties, which include a number of products based off of its iconic brands, including Hershey's and Reese's. The mixes provide a delicious combination of sweet, salty, crunchy and creamy.

Sweetening up Special Occasions

Whether it's in a birthday party goody bag or a holiday candy bowl, Hershey's iconic brands are essential to its fans most treasured and celebrated traditions. As a leader in seasons, Hershey used their knowledge and insights to develop and launch a new line of birthday-themed products, an innovation to fit a growing consumer need for occasion-specific confection products. The portfolio includes Hershey's most popular brands, including Hershey's Kisses, Reese's and Kit Kat, available in brightly wrapped foils and packaging to fit a variety of birthday themes.

For more information about Hershey's commitment to consumers and innovation, please visit The Hershey Company blog, "The Plume," or stop by booth No. 1505 at NCA's Sweets & Snacks Expo.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery leader known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has approximately 21,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and Brookside. Building on its core business, Hershey is expanding its portfolio to include a broader range of delicious snacks. The company remains focused on growing its presence in key international markets while continuing to extend its competitive advantage in North America.

At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products. For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on giving underserved children the skills and support they need to be successful. Today, the company continues this social purpose through 'Nourishing Minds,' a global initiative that provides basic nutrition to help children learn and grow. From neighborhoods across the United States to the streets of Shanghai and Mumbai and villages of West Africa, our goal is to nourish one million minds by 2020.

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