Hershey pushes forward with $1 billion investment including new Reese’s production facility

The Hershey Company is rolling-out its latest key Reese Chocolate Processing (RCP) facility in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as part of a $1 billion investment strategy, enabling the delivery of an extended range of core products, reports Neill Barston.

Notably, the business recorded a strong presence at last week’s Sweets & Snacks Expo (see exclusive event video review of the show below featuring an interview with Lindsay McCabe of the company below), which saw a number of launches across its portfolio. 

Confectionery Production was on hand in Indianapolis to cover its core releases and take in broader developments across the sector for the US, which we will offer extended coverage on for our subsequent edition.

The company recently held a special opening ceremony for its 250,000 square foot extended Reese’s line featuring guests including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, U.S. Representative Scott Perry, State Senator Patty Kim, State Representative Tom Mehaffie. It has been considered as the largest such move in three decades, resulting in major releases at Sweets & Snacks including an extension of its Jumbo Cup line in response to heightened consumer demand. 

Moreover, the new Reese’s line has been named after founder H.B Reese, and took three years to complete at the 55-acre site that is part of the company’s existing campus for the flagship brand. The site has nearly 100 full-time employees currently and will periodically add more positions as operations scale.

Significantly, the company confirmed that its broader investment strategy would include upgrades to 11 existing product sites across North America, that would include the installation of a total of 13 production lines. 

As the company stated, the move would enable greater agility across its supply chain network and developing new capabilities to drive the production of its core brands, and building the capacity needed for continued growth. The new RCP will support production capabilities for iconic brands like Reese’s, Kit Kat and Hershey’s.

Will Bonifant, Vice President, Supply Chain Strategy and Manufacturing, commented: “Our ability to make and deliver products both quickly and efficiently is a key component of our growth strategy,” said  “We’ve made significant investments to speed production, increase capacity and develop our workforce for the future to make more of the iconic brands consumers love.”

Furthermore, Douglas Guilherme, Vice President, Supply Chain North America welcomed the broader investment in the business, which he believed would prove decisive for the business, which, along with rest of the sector, has grappled with heightened costs of core ingredients including sugar and cocoa that have impacted across the sector during the past 18 months.

He said: “We are committed to investing to meet the needs of our consumers in collaboration with our retail partners and suppliers. Investing in our core brands – in our hometown—helps fuel growth across our portfolio and a wide variety of snacking occasions.”