Brad Reese — grandson of H.B. Reese, the guy who invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in his basement in 1928 — posted an open letter to Hershey last week, accusing the company of “quietly replacing” the milk chocolate and peanut butter that made the candy iconic.
The changes to Reese’s ingredients aren’t subtle. They’re right there on the wrapper — if you know what you’re looking at.
From “Milk Chocolate” to “Chocolate Candy”
The FDA has strict rules about what can be called milk chocolate. It needs at least 10% chocolate liquor, 12% milk solids, and 3.39% milk fat. If a company doesn’t want to meet those standards, they just change the label.
Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar says “chocolate candy” instead of “milk chocolate”. Same trick, different wrapper.
Brad Reese claims Hershey did the same thing across multiple Reese’s products — swapping milk chocolate for compound coatings and peanut butter for “peanut butter‑style crème”. Reese’s Take5 and Fast Break bars used to be coated with milk chocolate. Now they’re not. White Reese’s used to be made with white chocolate in the early 2000s. Now it’s white creme.
The Valentine’s Day Mini Hearts — the ones Brad Reese threw out — are labeled “chocolate candy and peanut butter crème”.
“It was not edible,” he told the AP.
Hershey Says the Original Cups Are Still the Same
Hershey issued a statement saying, “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they always have been.” The company acknowledged making “product recipe adjustments” for new shapes, sizes, and innovations — but insisted they’re “always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special”.
Translation: the flagship product is untouched, but everything else is fair game.
Brad Reese isn’t buying it. He said people tell him all the time that Reese’s products don’t taste as good as they used to. He used to eat a Reese’s product every day. Now he’s throwing them away.
The Cocoa Price Excuse
Cocoa prices spiked in recent years, which led some candy manufacturers to experiment with using less chocolate. Prices have dropped since then, but retail prices haven’t followed — there’s a lag between when companies buy raw cocoa beans and when they produce the candy.
That’s the cost-cutting explanation. But Brad Reese thinks Hershey went too far.
During a 2024 investor call, Hershey’s CFO Steven Voskuil said the company made formula changes but was “very careful to maintain the taste profile and the specialness of our iconic brands”. He said there was “extensive consumer testing” and “no consumer impact whatsoever”.
Except Brad Reese — who has the last name on the wrapper — is telling them there’s an impact.
Milton Hershey’s Ghost Is Watching
H.B. Reese worked for two years at Hershey before founding his own candy company in 1919. He invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928, selling them for between 1 and 5 cents. His six sons sold the company to Hershey in 1963.
Brad Reese invoked Milton Hershey’s famous quote in his LinkedIn post: “Give them quality, that’s the best advertising”.
“Reese’s became iconic because my grandfather built it on real ingredients and real integrity,” he wrote.
The European versions of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are labeled “milk chocolate-flavored coating and peanut butter crème” — not milk chocolate and peanut butter. Same brand, different standards.
Brad Reese said he “absolutely believes in innovation,” but his preference is “innovation with quality”.
Hershey’s preference appears to be innovation with margin protection.
The family name is still on the package. The family recipe isn’t.