Brad Reese, the 70-year-old heir to the Reese’s chocolatier legacy, achieves a major victory after publicly challenging The Hershey Company over recipe alterations in select products. These changes reportedly reduced chocolate content by substituting compound coatings for traditional milk or dark chocolate in some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups variations.
Hershey’s Announcement on Recipe Reversion
The Hershey Company reveals plans to revert certain products to their original milk and dark chocolate recipes starting in 2027. Company spokesperson Allison Kleinfelter states the firm will enhance its Kit Kat recipe for a creamier chocolate taste and transition its sweet portfolio to colors from natural sources. All Hershey’s and Reese’s offerings will align with classic milk and dark chocolate formulations.
“Hershey is committed to making products consumers love and that means continually reviewing our recipes to meet evolving tastes and preferences,” the company states. It emphasizes that core recipes for Hershey’s chocolate bars and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups remain unchanged.
Brad Reese’s Open Letter Campaign
The decision follows an open letter from Reese to Todd Scott, Hershey’s corporate brand and editorial manager, dated February 14. Reese questions how the company can uphold the Reese’s brand while replacing key ingredients that built consumer trust.
“My grandfather, H.B. Reese, built Reese’s on a simple, enduring architecture: Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter. Not a flavor idea. Not a marketing construct. A real tangible product identity that consumers have trusted for a century,” Reese writes. He accuses formulation decisions of substituting milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with cremes in multiple products.
Reese urges Scott to ensure the corporate narrative matches product reality, calling it a brand governance issue rather than a supply chain matter. “As the grandson of the man who created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I’m not asking for nostalgia. I’m asking for alignment. For truth in Reese’s brand stewardship,” he concludes.
Background on Recipe Changes and Response
Recipe modifications intensified after CEO Kirk Tanner’s appointment in August, driven by rising cocoa prices. Hershey’s Chief Financial Officer Steven Voskuil acknowledged formula tweaks during an investor call, aimed at cost savings while preserving taste profiles through extensive consumer testing. “I would say in all the changes that we’ve made thus far, there has been no consumer impact whatsoever,” Voskuil states.
The reversion affects about 3% of Reese’s products, supported by a 25% increase in research and development for talent, technology, and nutrition science. Kleinfelter notes these plans predated Reese’s criticisms and respond to evolving consumer preferences. “We are moving with speed with changes targeted to begin in 2027, covering formulation, packaging, supply lines and ingredient sourcing,” she adds.
Despite the announcement, Reese dismisses it as a PR stunt. “There’s no victory here. If they were serious, they would do it right away,” he states. Reese maintains that consumers report diminished taste quality and advocates for innovation paired with maintained standards. “I absolutely believe in innovation, but my preference is innovation with quality,” he says.
H.B. Reese, the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, passed away in 1956.
