Neal Freiman

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, milk, chocolate, and peanut butter, that built Reese's trust in the first place?

He said he recently threw out a Reese's Mini Hearts product released around Valentine's Day, calling it not edible.

In response to Reese, Hershey's said that it had not changed the recipe for the OG Peanut Butter Cup, but had expanded that brand into new categories to match changing consumer tastes.

As we've grown and expanded the Reese's product line, the company wrote,

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.

That is not likely to quiet the critics, many of whom rallied around Reese with their own grievances of Hershey's chocolate not quite tasting like it used to.

Toby, do they have a point?

It is a fact, if you go to these candies and you look at the ingredient list, that Rolo's, Mr. Goodbar, and Almond Joy no longer list milk chocolate like they used to, and Hershey's no doubt has been changing their ingredients.

And I think a lot of people hopped on this post and said, yeah, sure, you can take the whole psychology into account, saying that—

these chocolate does taste better when you're younger.

But they actually literally have changed the recipe, not necessarily for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but for other bars.

So a lot of folks were saying, yeah, Mr. Reese, you are right.

And he is, just to do some family lore, he is the grandson of H.B.

Reese.

HB Reese worked for Hershey in 1917 before founding his own company where he created the Reese's peanut butter cups.

Then his kids in 1963 sold that back to Hershey.

So this guy went from Hershey, did his own thing.

They sold it back.

But yes, this guy named HB Reese invented the Reese's butter cup.

Okay, welcome to Stock of the Week, Dog of the Week, the segment where Toby and I pick one stock that rocked and another that rolled.