Grandson of Reese's inventor says new candy is 'devastating'
The grandson of the man who invented the iconic Reese’s peanut butter cups has slammed the new version of the candy in a savage open letter.
One of the most recognisable American sweets, Reese’s has delighted confectionery lovers since H.B. Reese created the cups in 1928. The bite-sized treats feature a sweet milk chocolate shell filled with smooth peanut butter, a combination that has become synonymous with nostalgia, whether as Halloween candy, a movie snack, or a holiday indulgence. Over the decades, the brand has expanded to include dozens of spin-offs, from dark and white chocolate varieties to bars and minis.
However, one person who isn’t impressed with the current version is someone who arguably knows the product best.
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Brad Reese, 70, the grandson of founder H.B. Reese, published an open letter addressed to The Hershey Company on LinkedIn on 14 February, accusing the company of trading quality for profit.
Reese claimed the candy’s identity “is being rewritten” through the use of compound coatings and “peanut-butter-style crèmes” instead of traditional milk chocolate and peanut butter.
"My grandfather, H. B. Reese built Reese's on a simple, enduring architecture: Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter. Not a flavour idea. Not a marketing construct. A real, tangible product identity that consumers have trusted for a century," he wrote.
He later questioned: "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 that built Reese's trust in the first place?"
In a separate interview with AP, Reese said he recently threw away a heart-shaped Valentine’s Day Reese’s product because 'it was not edible.' The packaging described the sweets as being made from “chocolate candy and peanut butter crème,” rather than milk chocolate and peanut butter.
Under U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards, products labelled as milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, a paste made from ground cocoa beans with no alcohol, as well as a minimum of 12% milk solids and 3.39% milk fat. Some manufacturers use alternative wording on packaging if their products do not meet those requirements. For example, the wrapper for Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar uses the term “chocolate candy” instead of “milk chocolate,” according to AP.
Reese added: “You have to understand — I used to eat a Reese's product every day. This is very devastating for me.”
A spokesperson for The Hershey Co. defended the brand, saying: “Our iconic Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they always have been; starting with roasting fresh peanuts to make our unique, one-of-a-kind peanut butter that is then combined with milk chocolate.”
The statement, shared with People, continued: “As we've grown and expanded the Reese's product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese's fans have come to love and ask for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese's unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.”
FOODbible has contacted The Hershey Co. for comment.
Greg Harris