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The grandson of the man who invented the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is publicly criticizing The Hershey Company, accusing the candy giant of quietly changing the recipe of certain products under the iconic brand.
Brad Reese, grandson of founder H.B. Reese – whose company merged with Hershey in the 1960s – published an open letter on LinkedIn Saturday alleging that Hershey has replaced traditional ingredients like milk chocolate and peanut butter with lower-cost substitutes in parts of the Reese’s product line.
“My grandfather built Reese’s on a simple, enduring architecture: milk chocolate + peanut butter,” Brad Reese wrote. “But today, Reese’s identity is being rewritten, not by storytellers, but by formulation decisions that replace milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut‑butter‑style crèmes across multiple Reese’s products.”
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Brad Reese told FOX Business that he recently purchased Reese’s Unwrapped Chocolate Peanut Butter Creme Mini Hearts candies and immediately noticed a difference.
“I went and bought a bag, and I took a couple bites, and I had to throw the bag in the garbage,” Reese said. “… 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.”
He also claimed that products such as Reese’s Take 5 and Fast Break are no longer coated in milk chocolate, and alleged that in parts of Europe, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups no longer contain milk chocolate.
Brad Reese argues that the alleged recipe changes undermine the legacy and integrity of the brand his grandfather built.
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“I can’t go on representing being the grandson of Reese’s when the product is total bunk,” Brad Reese told FOX Business. “You have no idea how devastating it is.”
Hershey pushed back on the criticism, maintaining that its flagship product remains unchanged.
“Our iconic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they always have been; starting with roasting fresh peanuts to make our unique, one-of-a-kind peanut butter that is then combined with milk chocolate,” The Hershey Company told FOX Business in an email.
However, Hershey acknowledged that it has adjusted recipes as it expands the brand into new shapes and variations.
“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.
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The dispute comes as the broader chocolate industry has faced intense cost pressures.
Over the past two years, several chocolate makers have adjusted their recipes after cocoa prices surged to a record high in late 2024, Reuters reported.
Last July, Hershey reportedly announced price increases across its candy portfolio, citing an “unprecedented” rise in cocoa costs.
Since then, cocoa prices have dropped, driven by weakening demand and improving supply conditions, according to Reuters.
