Grandson of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Creator Claims Hershey is ‘Changing’ Ingredients That Earned Consumers’ Trust

Concerns Over Changes to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Brad Reese, grandson of the original creator of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, has raised alarms about Hershey allegedly “silently substituting” the chocolate and peanut butter that consumers have come to love. He believes these changes are undermining the core identity of the candy.

In an open letter to Todd Scott, Hershey’s corporate brand manager, Reese expressed concern that Reese’s “identity is being rewritten.” He emphasized that his grandfather, H.B. Reese, established the brand on a foundation of simple ingredients—milk chocolate and peanut butter—which built consumer trust over decades. However, he notes that recent formulation decisions have replaced these key ingredients with a composite coating and a peanut butter-like cream in several products.

Reese raised a rhetorical question about Hershey’s approach: “Will we continue to position Reese as a flagship brand that stands for trust, quality, and leadership while quietly replacing the very ingredients that built Reese’s trust in the first place?”

H.B. Reese, who worked briefly for Hershey before founding his own candy company in 1919, invented the iconic peanut butter cup in 1928 in his Hershey basement. Brad Reese asserts that the brand’s success was due to the use of genuine ingredients and integrity.

In a recent LinkedIn post, he reiterated the legacy his grandfather created, stressing the importance of real components in maintaining the product’s identity.

In response, Hershey stated that while they do occasionally adjust recipes, “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they’ve always been made.” They added that as they expand the product line, they remain committed to the unique combination of chocolate and peanut butter that defines Reese’s, all while innovating for their fans.

CBS News reported that the rise in cocoa prices has led some candy manufacturers to use less chocolate as a cost-cutting measure. Brad Reese believes this shift has gone too far, significantly altering the product’s flavor. “It wasn’t edible,” he remarked, noting his shock upon trying the new version, having regularly consumed Reese’s products in the past.