Milton Hershey

Milton Snavely Hershey was born on a farm near Derry Church, Pennsylvania, and left formal schooling after the fourth grade to begin an apprenticeship in confectionery work; early in his career he experienced multiple business failures before finding success. After apprenticeships and failed ventures in Lancaster, Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago, Hershey returned to Lancaster and in 1886 established the Lancaster Caramel Company, which became highly profitable by using fresh milk in caramels and employing innovative production methods. A visit to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago sparked Hershey’s interest in chocolate-making machinery and techniques, and he purchased equipment and knowledge that shifted his focus from caramels to chocolate. In 1900 he sold the Lancaster Caramel Company for $1 million and used the proceeds to found the Hershey Chocolate Company, developing an affordable milk chocolate formula and opening a large mass-production factory near his hometown; the first Hershey Bars were produced around 1900 and Hershey’s Kisses were introduced in 1907. Hershey invested heavily in the surrounding community, building housing, public amenities, cultural institutions and infrastructure to create a model company town—Hershey, Pennsylvania—and in 1909 he and his wife Catherine founded the Hershey Industrial School for orphaned boys. After Catherine’s death, Hershey endowed the school with his entire fortune in 1918 and later established the M.S. Hershey Foundation to support cultural and community programs. Hershey’s company continued to innovate and grew into one of the world’s largest confectionery manufacturers; Milton Hershey died in 1945, leaving a lasting legacy through The Hershey Company and the Milton Hershey School.