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Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

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Reese's
A whole Reese's Peanut Butter Cup next to a half Reese's Peanut Butter Cup showing the peanut butter filling in the middle of the Hershey's chocolate.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup consists of smooth peanut butter filling enveloped in Hershey's chocolate.
Product typeChocolate
OwnerThe Hershey Company
Produced byThe Hershey Company
CountryUnited States
IntroducedNovember 15, 1928; 96 years ago (1928-11-15)[1]
Related brands
MarketsWorldwide
Previous owners
Websitehersheyland.com/reeses

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (/ˈriːsz/, REE-sz)[3] are an American candy by the Hershey Company consisting of a peanut butter filling encased in chocolate. They were created on November 15, 1928,[4] by H. B. Reese, a former dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Milton S. Hershey. Reese was let go from his job with Hershey when the Round Barn which he managed was shut down for cost-saving measures. He subsequently decided to start his own candy business.[5] Reese's are a top-selling candy brand worldwide, with $3.1 billion in annual sales.[6]

History

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The H.B. Reese Candy Company was established in 1923 by H. B. Reese in Hershey, Pennsylvania.[7] The official product name was "Penny Cups" because they could be purchased for one cent.[8] Reese had originally worked at a Hershey dairy farm, and from the start, he used Hershey chocolate in his confections. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were his most popular candy, leading Reese to eventually discontinue his other lines.[9] Reese died in 1956, passing the company to his six sons, Robert, John, Ed, Ralph, Harry, and Charles Richard Reese.[10] On July 2, 1963, the Reese brothers merged the H. B. Reese Candy Company with the Hershey Chocolate Corporation in a tax-free stock-for-stock merger. In 1969, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups became the Hershey Company's top seller.[11]

The H.B. Reese Candy Company is maintained as a subsidiary of Hershey because the Reese plant workforce is not unionized, unlike the main Hershey plant. In 2012, Reese's was the best-selling candy brand in the United States with sales of $2.603 billion, and was the fourth-best-selling candy brand globally with sales of $2.679 billion—only $76 million (2.8%) of its sales were from outside the United States market. Additionally, the H.B. Reese Candy Company manufactures the Kit Kat in the United States, which had 2012 U.S. sales of $948 million.[12]

As of October 2017, in the U.S. convenience store channel, Reese's was the largest confection brand by far: It was 62% larger than the next brand, with more households purchasing Reese's products than any other confection brand across the United States. Reese's includes the overall top-selling confection item—the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups King Size—as well as six of the top 20 chocolate/non-chocolate items. Additionally, the Reese's brand accounts for over 47% of all seasonal sales within the U.S. convenience store channel, including the top two items in the largest four commercial seasons: Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. As a comparison, the next largest brand accounts for only 10% of seasonal sales.[13] In 2024, the Reese brothers' original 666,316 shares of Hershey common stock represent 16 million Hershey shares valued at over $4.4 billion that pay annual cash dividends of $87.6 million.[14][15][16]

Variations

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A trio of different sized cups. Starting from the left: mini, regular and big cup.

Hershey's produces variations and "limited editions" of the candy that have included:[17]

Size variations

  • Big Cup: a thicker version of the traditional Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Introduced in limited editions in 2003 before becoming a permanent fixture of the brand two years later.[18] Has several variations, including potato chips, pretzels, Reese's Pieces, and Reese's Puffs fillings.
  • Half-Pound Cup: a single cup weighing 227 g (8.0 oz). Introduced in 2011.
  • King Size: Introduced in 1987. Originally 3.2 oz (90.7 g); since 1991, 2.8 oz (79.4 g).[18]
  • Miniatures: bite-size versions
  • Thins: 40% thinner than the original cup. Introduced in 2018.[19]
  • Sugar Free: same as the original but without sugar. Introduced in 2003.[18]
  • World's Largest: each cup weighs 8 oz (226.8 g).[20]

Filling variations

  • Caramel: the traditional cup with an added layer of caramel filling. First available in 2006. Discontinued but was brought back in 2023.
  • Crunchy: a traditional cup with crunchy peanut butter, as opposed to the smooth peanut butter in the original. Introduced in the 1970s. It has been discontinued and rereleased over the years. Still available in some markets as of 2019.
  • Crunchy Cookie Cup: a layered cup with crushed chocolate cookies and peanut butter filling. First available in 1997. Discontinued in 1999, but was brought back in 2017.[21] Hershey has since launched a Big Cup version called Reese's Big Cup Crunchy Cookie.[22]
  • Double Chocolate: chocolate fudge filling instead of peanut butter. Limited edition. First available in 2006. Discontinued.
  • Double Crunch: a traditional cup with peanut filling similar to a Snickers bar, released in the fourth quarter of 2010.
  • Hazelnut Cream: hazelnut filling instead of the standard peanut butter filling. Was only available in Canada and now discontinued.
  • Honey Roasted: a traditional cup substituting honey roasted peanut butter. First available in the early 2000s but was brought back in 2017 as 'Taste of Georgia Honey Roasted Reese's' for a limited time. Discontinued.
  • Marshmallow: the traditional cup with an added layer of marshmallow filling. First available in 2007. Discontinued.[23]
  • Peanut Butter & Banana Creme: a layered cup with a top chocolate layer, bottom banana crème layer, and peanut butter filling; released as a tribute to Elvis Presley. It was available in standard, Big Cups and Miniatures sizes. First available in 2007. Discontinued.[24]

Coating variations

  • Chocolate Lovers: a thicker chocolate cup with a thinner layer of peanut butter. Was available in 2003–2005. Brought back for Summer 2019.[25]
  • Dark Chocolate: peanut butter filling in a dark chocolate cup. First available in early 2000s; introduced on and off as part of limited edition product variations for many years, then made its permanent debut in 2009.[26]
  • Fudge: a thicker, darker chocolate cup with peanut butter filling. First available in 2004. Discontinued.
  • White Creme: peanut butter filling in a white chocolate cup. In December 2003, the White Reese's Peanut Butter Cup product variation was permanently added to the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup product line.[18] The product brand variation originally launched as "White Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups" but was changed to White Reese's or White Creme Reese's after scrutiny for its misrepresentation since the product does not actually include any chocolate.

Coating and filling variations

  • Extra Smooth & Creamy: Has a smoother chocolate and peanut butter filling. First available in early 2000s. Discontinued.
  • Inside Out: chocolate filling in a peanut butter cup (a reversal of the traditional version). First available in 2005. Discontinued.
  • Peanut Butter Lovers: a layered cup with top peanut butter layer, thin chocolate layer and peanut butter filling. Was available in 2003–2005. Brought back for Summer 2019. The Peanut Butter Lovers cup in 2005 did not have extra peanut butter in the shell coating as it does today.[25][18]

Holiday editions

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During the seasons when retailers offer holiday-themed candies, Reese's Peanut Butter candies are available in various shapes that still offer the standard confection theme of the traditional Reese's cup (peanut butter contained in a chocolate shell). They are sold in a 6-pack packaging configuration but are usually available individually. Although exterior packaging is altered to reflect the theme of the representative holiday, the actual holiday itself is never presented.[27]

  • Reese's Peanut Butter Hearts: Available mainly during January and February, these are heart-shaped confections representing Valentine's Day. At various retailers, an individually-packaged, larger heart is available as well. These are packaged in all-red exterior packaging. Launched nationally in 1997.[18]
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Roses: These are also sold in January and February and represent Valentine's Day.
A packet of Peanut Butter Cups
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs: Available mainly during March and April, these are egg-shaped confections representing Easter. Exterior packaging is usually yellow and orange (milk chocolate), white and orange (white chocolate), or dark brown and orange (fudge-flavored chocolate). This is the only holiday-themed item available in three chocolate varieties.[28]
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins: Available mainly during September and October, these are pumpkin-shaped confections representing Halloween. The packaging is standard Reese's orange with a jack-o-lantern picture and the word "Pumpkins" prominently displayed. Launched nationally in 1993.[18] White Creme pumpkins were added to the Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkin line in 2017.[29]
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Ghosts: Available mainly during September and October, these are ghost-shaped confections representing Halloween. The packaging is Halloween themed with the word scary on it. The ghost replaces the letter "a" in the word scary. First released in 2016.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Franken-Cup: Released in 2020 and sold until 2023, Hershey's first colored Reese's variation. It consists of milk chocolate, white crème that is dyed green, and the traditional peanut butter filling.[30]
  • Reese's Werewolf Tracks: Available in September and October, these are werewolf shaped candies similar to moose tracks ice cream. Released in 2024, replacing the Franken-Cup. It consists of milk chocolate, white crème, and the traditional peanut butter filling.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Bats: Available in September and October, these are bat-shaped chocolate candies.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Trees: Available mainly during November and December, these are evergreen tree-shaped confections representing Christmas. At various retailers these may be available in standard milk chocolate or white. Initially, the packaging was green, white, and orange, but has been changed to a winter scene with a snow-covered ground and a snowman with a central large orange evergreen tree-shape in the center of the package. In November 2015, consumers criticized the product via Twitter for bearing too vague a resemblance to a Christmas tree.[31]
  • The above are all slightly larger than a single, ordinary Reese's Cup.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Bells: These bell shaped candies are smaller than a traditional cup, but are slightly larger than a miniature cup and have a higher ratio of chocolate to peanut butter. They are sold in bulk bags, much like Hershey Kisses.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Bunny: A larger, individually-packaged Easter Bunny. Formerly known as a Reester Bunny.
  • Reese's Snowman: The peanut butter snowman is three times larger than the peanut butter tree, egg or pumpkin.[32]
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Ugly Sweater: Candy in the shape of an ugly sweater, a common Christmas gift.[33]
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Footballs: Candy in the shape of a football, available during football season.
  • Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Nutcrackers: Candy in the shape of a nutcracker doll, a Christmas decoration.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Shapes These are Christmas-themed candies in the shapes of snowmen, bells, and trees, sold during the holiday season.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Santas. These are shaped like Santa Claus.

Other products

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  • Reese's Crispy Crunchy is a candy bar made of flaky peanut butter and chopped peanuts coated with milk chocolate. It was introduced in 2006.[34]
  • Reese's Fast Break (previously sold in Canada as Hershey Sidekick) feature peanut butter over a layer of nougat and covered in chocolate.[35] It was introduced in 2001 in the United States and Canada.[36] It was discontinued in Canada in September 2006.[37][38]
  • Reese’s Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups, are peanut butter cups made with oat milk instead of cow's milk. They were introduced into the U.S. in 2023.[39]
  • Reese's Snack Bar, peanut butter creme, crisp whole grain brown rice, roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate.
  • Reese's Sticks, formerly called "ReeseSticks", are wafers filled with peanut butter and covered in chocolate. They were introduced in 1998 and are sold in pairs, similar to Twix and Kit Kat bars.[40][41] They are banned in Norway because of the use of genetically modified additives.[42]
  • Reese's Whipps is a candy bar made of peanut butter nougat and a layer of peanut butter and chocolate. It was introduced in 2007.[43]
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream is ice cream containing Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Marketing and advertising

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In the United States, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups typically come in packs of 2, 4, 5, 10 or 20 in distinctive orange packaging, set on thin but rigid paperboard trays. The "Classic" two-pack is a 0.75 ounces (21 g) cup since 2001 (originally a 0.9 ounces (26 g) size, reduced to 0.8 ounces (23 g) in 1991), the "King Size" four-pack introduced in the early 1980s is a 0.7 ounces (20 g) cup (originally a 0.8 ounces (23 g) cup until 1991) and the "Lunch" eight-pack is a 0.55 ounces (16 g) cup. "Large Size" packs of three 0.7 oz cups, as well as bags containing 0.6 ounces (17 g) cups, are also available. Reese's Miniatures come in various bag sizes and foil colors for seasonal themes like red, gold and green for the Christmas holiday season. In Canada, they at one point were packaged as Reese Peanut Butter Cups, but were still widely referred to by their American name.[44] The possessive name is recognized only in English grammar, so it was removed to make the name bilingual in Canada. Previously packaged in a two pack, they now come in a standard pack of three 0.55 oz. cups or the king-size variation with four cups. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, they were originally available only in two-packs, though are now available in three-packs, five-packs and miniatures. In 2008, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were made available in Europe by Hydro Texaco and 7-Eleven. In Australia, Reese's products can be found in many specialty candy stores, as well as from American stores such as Costco.

In the 1970s and 1980s, a series of commercials were run for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups featuring situations in which two people, one eating peanut butter and one eating chocolate, collided. One person would exclaim, "You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!" and the other would exclaim, "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!" They would then sample the mixture and remark on the great taste, tying in with the slogan "Two great tastes that taste great together."[45]

In the 1990s, the product's slogan was: "There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's."[3]

Reese's was an associate sponsor of NASCAR Cup Series drivers Mark Martin (1994) and Kevin Harvick (2007–2010).[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Fascinating Rise Of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups". Business Insider. June 30, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  2. ^ "H.B. Reese Made A Sweet Business Out Of Quality Candy". Investor's Business Daily. January 21, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  3. ^ a b There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's - TV commercial (1993), archived from the original on 2023-04-02, retrieved 2021-11-08
  4. ^ "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups". 20 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Reese Candy Company". Hershey Community Archives. Retrieved March 17, 2018. He enjoyed enough success to quit his steady job in the factory and set out to "make a living" by making candy.
  6. ^ "Hershey 2024 Annual Stockholder Meeting". The Hershey Company. May 6, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  7. ^ "H.B. Reese Made A Sweet Business Out Of Quality Candy". Investor's Business Daily. January 21, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Monette Roberts, Anna (20 August 2017). "7 Things You Never Knew About Reese's, Straight From an Employee". POPSUGAR Food. Popsugar. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  9. ^ "The H.B. Reese Candy Company Story". BradReeseCom. Lebanon Daily News. June 9, 1956. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  10. ^ "H.B. Reese Death Announcement". BradReeseCom. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Was it Hershey or Reese That Made Peanut Butter Cups Great?". Atlas Obscura. October 27, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  12. ^ "Snickers Surging to Top of Global Candy Race". Ad Age. September 20, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "REESE'S - An Indulgent C-Store Driver". The Hershey Company. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Stock Split History". The Hershey Company. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "The 1963 Reese/Hershey Merger Closing Agenda" (PDF). BradReeseCom. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  16. ^ "Hershey Raises Quarterly Dividends". Hershey Company. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "Reese's product listing". Archived from the original on 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g "Products – Hershey Community Archives". Hershey Archives. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  19. ^ Morillo, Alexis (14 January 2020). "You Can Now Buy Reese's Thins In White Crème And It's All We're Eating". Delish.
  20. ^ "World's Largest REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups". Archived from the original on 2011-10-23. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  21. ^ Sha Spence (9 March 2017). "Reese's Launches New Peanut Butter Cups Filled with Crunchy Chocolate Bits". People. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  22. ^ Louis, Nancy (17 March 2017). "Correcting And Replacing – The Mystery Is Solved: Reese's Crunchy Cookie Cup To Launch This May". Global Brands Magazine. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Reese's Has New Marshmallow Peanut Butter Cups Coming This Spring". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  24. ^ "Reese's Cups Elvis Peanut Butter & Banana Creme - 24 / Case". www.candyfavorites.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  25. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Caitlyn (25 March 2019). "Reese's Chocolate Lovers and Peanut Butter Lovers Cups Are Hitting Stores Soon". Best Products. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Dark Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - Candy Blog". www.candyblog.net.
  27. ^ "Reese's Seasonal Products". hersheys.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  28. ^ Are you a Cadbury Crème or Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg? Retrieved 2013-12-9
  29. ^ Pham, Peter. "Hershey's New Halloween Sweets Include Reese's Eyeballs and White Pumpkins". www.foodbeast.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  30. ^ Dawn, Randee. "Reese's is making its 1st peanut butter cup in color". TODAY.com. TODAY. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  31. ^ Cox, Dan (27 November 2015). "Seriously, people are upset this year's Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Trees don't look enough like Christmas trees". Inquistr. Retrieved 28 Nov 2015.
  32. ^ Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: World's Largest at Yahoo Voices Archived 2014-07-29 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2013-12-9
  33. ^ "Hershey's holiday lineup features new kind of Reese's Cups, Grinch Kisses". Retrieved 2021-11-04.[permanent dead link‍]
  34. ^ "Introducing Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar". Archived from the original on 2011-03-04. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  35. ^ "Reese's Fast Break - Candy Blog". www.candyblog.net.
  36. ^ "25 best candy bars of all time". 26 June 2021.
  37. ^ "The Sidekick and the Fast Break – A Dual-Identity Bar!". 16 April 2013.
  38. ^ "What does reese's fast break mean?".
  39. ^ "Vegan version of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to go on sale this month". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  40. ^ "REESESTICKS ARE INTRODUCED". 9 March 1998.
  41. ^ "Reese's Sticks - Candy Blog". www.candyblog.net.
  42. ^ journalist, Christian Sørgjerd (7 May 2015). "Colosseum kino solgte genmodifisert sjokolade". Aftenposten.
  43. ^ "Review mentioning new candy bar". Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  44. ^ Scott, Michael Dot ScottMichael Dot. "In Canada Reese's is Called 'Reese' and Come Standard in Packs of Three [Video]". 97.3 The Dawg. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  45. ^ "You Got Peanut Butter In My Chocolate!". www.bbcmag.com. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  46. ^ "Hershey's to give associate backing for Harvick". Crash. 2002-10-12. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
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