Chocolate-Covered Peanuts
The Round Barn facility closed in 1919 and left Reese without a job. He then decided to open a chocolate company in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, which he called the R&R Candy Company. After years of trying unsuccessfully, he eventually closed the business and went back to work for Hershey. It was in 1928 when Reese finally concocted the recipe for the delicious chocolate-covered peanut butter cup and found his way back into the candy game. Even he had no idea how big of a product it was destined to be. He packed it as part of a 5-pound mixed candy bag that had to be bought in bulk.
The Cups Were Everywhere
The peanut butter cups started to gain popularity, and people wanted more. Realizing the demand for the tasty treat, Reese started selling them as a freestanding item in 1935. Cups were sold at a penny a piece. There were larger varieties sold at two cents and five cents as well. During World War II, chocolate and sugar became scarce. Fortunately for Reese, there was no crisis for peanut butter, and making peanut butter cups was, at that time, already automated. He abandoned all his other products and dedicated his time and effort solely to producing the famous cups.
Collaboration
Reese passed away in West Palm Beach, Florida, on May 16, 1956. A few years later, in 1963, the Hershey Chocolate Corporation acquired the H.B. Reese Candy Company. This was a wise move on Hershey’s part because up until today, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup continues to be its best-selling product.