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Just in time for Valentine’s Day Hershey’s Kissables are available in 21.3 oz. bags or in 16 lb. cases for vending machine owners. Kissables are a miniature version of the world famous Hershey’s Kisses. The difference is the size, plus the miniature candy is a coated version of the kisses. Kissables are made from the same delicious milk chocolate as their cousin, however they come in an assortment of five bright colors like yellow, orange, red, green and blue. With Valentine’s Day next month vending route operators can stock up for the holiday and get discounts from …

Have you ever wondered why those delicious pop-in-your-mouth M&M’s candies came to be? Since they’re my favorite candy I had to know. Here’s what I found out……….. M&M’s have a long history in the United States . They were first produced in New Jersey in 1941 by a company owned by Forrest Mars, Sr. He got the idea for M&M’s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating Smarties, a chocolate morsel covered with a hard sugar shell so that the chocolate wouldn’t melt. When Mars introduced M&M’s to the G.I.s during World War II th …

If you haven’t already heard, the future supply of chocolate may be in jeopardy. This situation is caused by the increase in demand for chocolate and the decline in cacao tree production. The cacao tree produces the seed that makes chocolate. The increase in demand comes not only from the fact that anything chocolate tastes so good, but also from the growing evidence that eating chocolate can be good for your health. The decrease in production comes from several reasons. First, diseases destroy a third of the world’s cacao crop every year. And those diseases are spreading around …

The largest chocolate manufacturer in North America, Hershey Foods Corporation, recently opened a museum in Hershey , Pennsylvania . This museum is a monument to Milton S. Hershey, who founded the company in 1894. The museum combines relics of the past, like a model of the machine used to wrap Hershey’s Kisses, along with high tech gadgets. Hershey had several false starts in the candy making business before hitting on a winner in 1899 when he developed the Hershey process which produced a milk chocolate bar. In 1907 Hershey introduced the small flat-bottomed conical-shaped chocolate p …

Something new for all ages Last week I took my kids grocery shopping. On our way out of the supermarket they always want to stop by the vending machines. So we did. Much to their excitement the machines have some new toys to choose from. My fashion conscious 11-year-old daughter’s eyes fell on the machine with 1” True Color Rings . There was everything from hip hot pink, brilliant blue, sunflower yellow, purple and green rings all in different designs including red hearts, flowers, and the classic shapes like squares and ovals. She put her 25 cents in the machine and much to her deli …