100 Entrepreneurs Who Changed The World
32. Hershey, Milton 1857-1945
“Caramels are only a fad. Chocolate is a permanent thing.”
Milton Hershey was an American businessman, confectioner, and philanthropist. He founded The Hershey Chocolate Company, and subsequently the “company town” of Hershey, Pennsylvania. Known as the chocolate King, Hershey built an empire that is still thriving today. There is no chocolate bar like a Hershey bar—the name itself has become a synonym for chocolate. During World War II, Hershey made Ration D and Tropical Chocolate bars for US troops. They were made to resist melting and were specifically made to not taste very good, so troops wouldn’t eat them glutinously. In 1912, last minute business matters forced Hershey and his wife to cancel their trip on the SS Titanic.
