The Hershey Company
19 E Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA, 17033, United States
Overview
The Hershey Company is a global confectionery that provides chocolates, sweets, mints, and other snacks around the world. Having more than 80 brands worldwide, the company offers its products through brand names such as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers. It is focused on growing its presence in key international markets while continuing to build its competitive advantage in North America. Additionally, it is poised to expand its portfolio into categories beyond confectionery. The Hershey Company was founded in 1894 and is based in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
- Total investments
- 2
- Lead investments
- 1
- Investments · 12mo
- 0
- Active investors
- 7
Sector focus
- Confectionery
- Food and Beverage
- Manufacturing
- Service Industry
- Snack Food
Investment portfolio
- Blue Stripes
Led · Series B · Oct 2024
Blue Stripes produces consumer products using a whole-cacao approach that utilizes roughly 70% of the cacao fruit typically discarded in traditional chocolate making. Its product line includes Cacao Water, Whole Cacao Chocolate Bars, Whole Cacao Granola, Whole Cacao Trail Mix, Chocolate Covered Cacao Beans, and Dried Cacao Fruit. The company sells nationally through its website and retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Fresh Market, Sprouts, Amazon, and select premium grocers. Blue Stripes says its ingredient and production approach creates a more ecologically and economically sustainable cocoa supply chain by increasing the value of the cacao fruit and farmer incomes. The company was founded in 2018 by Oded Brenner and Aviv Schwietzer and is based in New York City. Blue Stripes recently named Nick DiGiovanni as a Brand Ambassador to help raise consumer awareness of the cacao fruit and its benefits.
- Rob’s Backstage Popcorn
Participated · Series A · Mar 2023
Rob’s Backstage Popcorn sells a flavor-forward savory popcorn originally formulated by Rob Garbowsky and officially entered the market in 2021. The core product is a sweet-and-salty popcorn described as between movie theater popcorn and kettle corn, packaged in 4 oz bags with 16 servings; all SKUs are plant-based, gluten-free and non-GMO. The brand has added new SKUs including a Classic Barbecue flavor (a collaboration with Kelly Clarkson) and an Indian Spice Mix honoring Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The company pursues a retail-first strategy and has pushed into roughly 8,000 stores within 12 months of launch. Management says the newly raised capital will support continued expansion across key national retail chains, including Walmart, and further product growth. The Naked Market, which co-launched the brand, uses an internal aggregator called “The Machine” to identify high-growth opportunities and accelerate market-ready product launches.