The grandson of the man who gave the world the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup has leveled allegations against Hershey’s, claiming they’re hurting his grandfather’s brand.
Brad Reese wrote a letter on, of all days, Valentine’s Day, telling Hershey’s that they have hurt the Reese’s brand by using what he said were cheaper ingredients, The Associated Press reported.
He told Hershey’s brand manager in the letter, “How does The Hershey Co. continue to position REESE’S as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built REESE’S trust in the first place?”
He wrote, “It’s about whether REESE’S, the world’s No. 1 chocolate brand, is being protected or diluted.”
Reese added, “Right now, the REESE’S story is diverging from what’s inside REESE’S products. And that divergence puts REESE’S and the legacy behind it, at risk.”
Hershey’s said the candy is made the same way they always have been by using milk chocolate and peanut butter made by Hershey’s, using roasted peanuts, salt, sugar and other ingredients, adding that some ingredients vary.
“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,” the company said.
Reese said that the adjustments went too far and that he tossed a bag of Reese’s Mini Hearts, a new item released for Valentine’s Day. The packaging said the treats were made from “chocolate candy and peanut butter crème,” not milk chocolate and peanut butter, the AP reported.
“It was not edible,” Reese told the AP. “You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese’s product every day. This is very devastating for me.”
He told Fox Business, “I couldn’t eat it. It was not edible, and I looked at the packaging… and there was no milk chocolate, there was no peanut butter — it was all vegetable oils and fats.”
To be considered milk chocolate, the Food and Drug Administration requires it to have at least 10% chocolate liquor, made from the paste of ground cocoa beans, but despite the name, no alcohol. It also must have at least 12% milk solids and 3.39% milk fat.
Hershey’s lists “chocolate candy” instead of “milk chocolate” on products such as Mr. Goodbar, to not meet the requirements.
Other chocolate companies have changed their formulas for chocolate recently since the price of cocoa skyrocketed to more than $12,000 per metric ton in 2024, Reuters reported. Coca prices have fallen sharply by 70% since demand sank and there were better supplies available.
Hershey Chief Financial Officer Steven Voskuil spoke about the changes in formulas with investors last year, without specifying which products have been changed, but saying that the company is careful to maintain the “taste profile and the specialness of our iconic brands.”
“I would say in all the changes that we’ve made thus far, there has been no consumer impact whatsoever. As you can imagine, even on the smallest brand in the portfolio, if we were to make a change, there’s extensive consumer testing,” he said.
Reese disagrees. He claims that people frequently tell him that the products do not taste as good as they used to.
Reese’s grandfather, H.B. Reese, worked for Hershey’s before leaving in 1919 and starting his own company. He invented his Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928. His six sons sold the Reese’s company to Hershey in 1963.
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