Hershey Company-A Case Analysis

Hershey’s and Cadburys are moving towards the premium chocolate market through the acquisition or upmarket launches (Zietsma, 2007). The profit potential present in this sector supported by its 20% annual growth rate make it very attractive for large organizations to come forward and avail this opportunity. There is a low threat of new entrants prevailing in this chocolate industry because of the high capital requirements and expected retaliation by current manufacturers. Current players in the industry also possess some barriers to entry for new entrants by maintaining economies of scales with their large production capacity and keeping their product differentiation with their specialized and novelty chocolate products. Even though there are low switching costs and easy access to distribution channels, but still the brand loyalty of the customers including the Rogers’ Chocolate itself make it harder for new firms to come into the competition.

(Transition: The history of Hershey’s chocolate laid the foundation for the many different types of chocolate eaten today.

The Hershey Company and Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. have weathered the ”Great Depression” with a history of more than one hundred years in the confectionary candy making industry. Their vision and longevity have pushed them into the twenty first century to meet the needs of the community, consumer, affordability, environment and healthy control portions. Both companies have made available, reduced sugar, sugar free, nut free, peanut free and gluten free products that is reflected in their candies, gum and mints. The two companies are worth investing in, but may be better than the other.

The founder of Hershey Chocolate, Milton Hershey, had a long journey to creating some of the most famous candy today. From a young age he lived in poverty and his parents constantly fought due to differences, which would always have an impact on Milton’s life. He started out in the business struggling, first with his caramel business going under and the unhelpful advice of his father that only led to Milton making more mistakes. Once Milton made it big he went on to do amazing things and dedicated a big part of his life to helping other people and focusing on the well-being of his employees. Milton Hershey was indeed one of the most famous and successful people in the candy community, but it was only through many hardships and stress that got him there.

The Hershey Company is the leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, and chocolate-related grocery products. The company is also a leader in the gum and mint manufacturer category as well. In this paper, I will discuss the history of the Hershey Company and the impact it has on the United States and the rest of the world.

Overall Tootsie Roll has better liquidity. Liquidity measures the short-term ability to pay obligations as they are expected to be due within the next year.

e) Maintenance contracts - Maintenance costs should be included as incremental cash flows because they could change the NPV of the project if the maintenance costs are significantly different for each of the different projects.

Moreover, consumers and employees are also demanding chocolate companies to follow good corporate social responsibility practices in addressing the environmental concerns in terms of how to design its packaging, procurement and operational decisions. Human rights concerns are also high in terms of consumer expectations of chocolate companies with respect of forced child labour in West Africa. All of these driving forces - societal concerns, attitudes and change in lifestyles, are strong enough to shape up the competition and impose the constraint on chocolate industry profitability and competitive survival.

For over one hundred years, there has been only one company that has been on top of the candy industry in North America; Hershey. With over 14,000 employees, serving 70 countries worldwide and net sales of $6.6 billon, Hershey has come out on top. The Hershey company began in 1894 by Milton Hershey. The company has over 8 factories, but their main headquarters resides in Pennsylvania. The beloved Hershey milk chocolate bar has been a favorite by many, but would it still be if more people knew how it came to be that? One of chocolates main ingredients is cocoa. Cocoa, or cocoa beans come from tropical areas around the world, but is mostly found on the Ivory Coast in West Africa. Hershey, along with Mars and Nestle are the three major companies that buy their cocoa from West Africa, but with further investigation, it has been known that over 4,400 children work on those cocoa farms that they buy from.

M&M’s biggest competitor is Hershey’s brand like M&M candies. The competition is fierce among the chocolate industry. Hershey and Mars are rivals and want the opportunity to gain more of the market share. In 1954, Hershey-ettes were introduced to compete against the similar M&M’s. However, they were not successful and are generally only available for consumers around the Holiday season. By the millennium, Hershey extended the popular Hershey Kisses brand in creating the Kissables. Hershey intended for direct competition to M&M small candy coated round tablet of chocolate in multitude of colors. The candy factories started in standard size packs and by the 70’s moved into standard size candy boxes. In the current year and season, you will find M&M’s in candy canes to small snack sizes and inside ornamental objects. The chocolate world becomes difficult to present as it becomes difficult to come up with new ideas in the candy business. As more companies release products similar to the M&M’s, it will become increasingly difficult for Mars to continue to command the level of market share in the chocolate candy industry and the product has a potential to get lost in the supermarket aisle.

Born into a poor, lower-class family, Milton S. Hershey dropped out of school before reaching the fourth grade. He developed an interest in becoming a confectioner. He believed there would be great demand for affordable, mass-produced chocolate, and thus he built the Hershey Chocolate Company. Hershey’s is now the largest producer of quality chocolates in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Although he enjoyed making money, Milton S. Hershey was intent on using his vast fortune for philanthropic purposes. He decided to surround his enterprise with a model town and personally financed the building of roads, utilities,

Hershey’s currently generates less than 10% of revenue from its Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and African market segments, however its presence abroad is steadily increasing, leading to future global revenue growth. (EuroMonitor Inc., 2014)

Hershey chocolate is known as one of the world’s most popular chocolate brands. For 118 years, the Hershey brand remains a favorite chocolate treat in over 90 different countries. Beginning only manufacturing milk chocolate, the company today manufacturers over 100 different varieties of candy. Many people are familiar with the traditional Hershey milk chocolate bar, Reese’s peanut butter cups, and bite sized Hershey kisses. The process behind producing these famed treats is a fascinating process. By evaluating the company’s manufacturing process and business dynamics, consumers can gain a better perspective of the science behind the candy the enjoy most.

By October 2012, it had been over 15 months since Apollo Foods, a global consumer packaged-goods firm, had obtained the rights to distribute the well-known European chocolate company, Montreaux, in the United States. Andrea Torres, the director of new product development at Montreaux Chocolate USA, is presented with the

In 1907, Hershey’s added its famous KISSES chocolates to its product line. The company ended up trademarking the iconic “plume” at the top. More products were added within the next 20 years, including the Mr. Goodbar Candy Bar, Hershey’s Syrup, Hershey’s chocolate chips and more. These new products protected jobs and maintained profitability during the Great Depression. During World War I and II, Hershey provided milk chocolate bars to soldiers, including survival ration bars during World War II. During the war, Hershey earned five Army-Navy “E” Production Awards for its offerings to the war effort.