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For generations, a bite of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup meant one thing:
Milk chocolate. Real peanut butter. That unmistakable taste. Now, many loyal fans say something is different.
In this episode, we sit down with Brad Reese, grandson of H. B. Reese and self-appointed “Protector of Reese’s Brand Integrity,” to unpack a controversy that has caught the world’s attention.
Brad and others are upset about the current quality of Reese’s products under Hershey’s control, pointing to a shift in taste and either proven or alleged ingredient swaps.
Emotions are high - people love Reese’s. They want real answers.
This isn’t just about candy.
It’s about trust, heritage, and a beloved company at a cultural tension point with its best customers.
What Sparked the Controversy?
Brad published an open letter to Hershey’s on LinkedIn calling out what he and many consumers observed:
While The Hershey Company has publicly stated that core ingredients have not changed, consumers began comparing labels and conducting side-by-side taste tests online.
The consumer pushback and Hershey’s response quickly went viral, drawing attention from major media outlets and even commentary from MrBeast while promoting his own line of Feastibles.
A Powerful Quote from Brad
“They’re stooping for pennies and passing up dollars.”
Subscribe for more deep dives where we fix big business problems with fresh perspectives.
Brad Reese
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradreesecom/
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There are two things that are indisputably true.
One, for a very long time, Reese's have been delicious.
And two, there are some very real questions being raised about what Reese's is now.
Because for many people, when you bite into a Reese's, not all varieties, but some of
them, the taste is different.
People love their Reese's, myself included, so naturally, they've been talking about it.
One of these people is our guest today, and he's not simply a fan like the rest of us.
He's joining me in welcoming Brad Reese to the conversation.
Brad's the grandson of H.B. Reese, the inventor of Reese's peanut butter cups, and you may
have seen Brad on LinkedIn under the name of the protector of Reese's brand integrity.
What kicked us all off is that he wrote an open letter to the Hershey's company calling
out that he and others were experiencing a shift in the company's ingredients that
were impacting the product's quality.
The story blew up.
It's been in the New York Times, NBC News, the Today Show, and now Brad's here with us,
Melissa and me, to talk about this himself.
Thank you so much for being here, Brad, and tell everyone just a little bit more about
yourself.
Well, my dad, Charles Richard Reese, was the youngest of the 16 children of H.B. Reese,
who invented Reese's.
And so I'm 70 years old right now.
I live in West Palm Beach, Florida, which is where my grandfather H.B. Reese died.
He died at St. Mary's Hospital.
I've got cancer.
I will most likely die at the VA hospital here in West Palm Beach.
So I moved here to die here where my grandfather died.
So that's kind of closure for me.
Well, thank you for spending some time with us, Brad.
We really appreciate having you here.
Well, let's dig into what has the world's attention right now, right?
Well, let's factually, for anyone who says Reese's isn't what it used to be, I mean, that's
true.
It isn't one product anymore.
It's dozens.
So you have miniatures, big cups, thins, fast break, nut radius.
There's holiday shapes, white chocolate, dark chocolate, organic, sugar-free, plant-based
variations, international varieties.
Depending on how you count, there's well over 60s, Reese's varieties, variations on the
market at any given time.
What started this firestorm has that there's been this interesting phenomenon across TikTok
and all X and all the socials.
People who love Reese's began posting ingredient comparisons and taste tests and packaging breakdowns
and some social media users and there's been this undercurrent of growing dissent.
I've been claiming that the certain variations have been using alternative fats instead
of cocoa butter, texture shifts, less definable ingredients such as peanut butter cream,
instead of actual peanut butter, and the debate even drew commentary for Mr. Beast when
promoting festivals, which is his own line of chocolate bars because the course Mr.
Beast heads away in here too.
Meanwhile, Hershey's has publicly stated that the core Reese's ingredients have not changed
that they're labeling complies with regulations and all is good in the candy factory, so don't
worry about it, but here's what we're trying to fix with the Ubrad.
When customers of a legacy brand as we love it is Reese's sense that something's different
and not for the better, how should the company be responding?
Because for those of us who honestly think the experience is a little less sweet, we'd
like some explanations as something really is different, what should the company be doing
in this situation?
It's up to us to make the put together the advice and tell, you know, this is our open forum.
So, first off, Brad, how did Hershey's respond?
Zero, nothing.
I haven't heard a peep.
And so because I put together some statements, there was a video showing a factory tour and
the ingredients the same, have they said anything to you?
No, yeah, so I'm referring to me.
The only time Hershey will communicate with me is that they want something, and usually
a want something means take, would you please take down that LinkedIn post that you just
published?
And they know that if anything is not accurate, if I will correct it, but so I would say,
well, is there anything in my LinkedIn post that's not accurate?
Oh, no, it's accurate.
We just don't want you to have it published there.
It'll be a big favor to say if you take it down, I go, okay, I'll take it down.
I try, I try and, but there's no reciprocal, there's, oh, they don't give me any information.
There's no knowledge that they pass my way.
There's total silence.
So everything I come up with on my LinkedIn post, that's all my research, all my doing.
Hershey does not participate at all.
And so, yeah, so I've had no response, zero from them.
Now what's interesting is they're trying to change the narrative, and it was interesting
how they did that.
Then members of the Reese family that are local and Hershey, they try to separate, cause
turmoil within the Reese family, and they actually publish the letter from the Reese family.
And I address that in a LinkedIn post, okay?
They didn't say which Reese family members and what's really interesting.
So they're saying that those Reese family members are fine with replacing milk chocolate
with compound coating.
That's what that letter is basically saying.
And I understand that they're concerned about the price of the stock.
And so that makes sense.
But the Hershey company doing that, I mean, that's their PR people.
And what's really interesting, there's only one person out of hundreds of descendants
of HV Reese.
There's only one individual, and that's my younger brother, Andrew Reese, who is the
sole legal owner of the rights of publicity to the name, image and likeness of HV Reese.
And he's for my bringing to the attention of the ingredients, swapping out milk chocolate
with compound coating, he's for that.
But he's the only single Reese relative that actually has the sole legal rights to the
name, image and likeness and white publicity to HV Reese.
And so that letter didn't mention that.
But anyway, so they're trying to change the narrative.
One other way of narrative is they're changing it for the shapes and sizes.
Well, if you go to any grocery store, check, check out length or any convenience store,
you see the king size Reese's.
And we're talking about the king size fast break.
It ain't no longer milk chocolate, compound coating.
If you look at the king size Reese's stinks, the crisp you can't resist, that's been
out since 1998.
Milk chocolate is no longer used on Reese's sticks, it's compound coating.
Probably one of the most recent big successes for Reese's was the Reese's Take 5, which
was the subject of the first Super Bowl ad that the Hershey Company ever had.
And that was in February 2020 when they rebranded the Hershey's Take 5 as Reese's Take 5.
That product Reese's Take 5 was covered in milk chocolate.
The king size bars are no longer covered in milk chocolate, compound coating.
And they've done that to the Hershey products as well.
For example, Mr. Goodbar, Mr. Goodbar has always been milk chocolate and peanuts.
Now it's chocolate candy and peanuts.
They've done that to the heath bar, there's no longer milk chocolate.
They've done that to roll those no longer milk chocolate.
So it's not just perceptual shifts, there are actual ingredients too, because you said
that...
Yeah.
Well, kick this off for you, it was the miniature hearts, right?
Yes, Aaron, I don't...
I mean, they're doing it so quietly that if you're not really looking closely, you're
not going to catch it.
I mean, everything else looks the same, the graphics, the reasons.
It's just milk chocolate is no longer there.
It's chocolate candy, or in other words, sometimes they use chocolatey or chocolate cover
or made with chocolate.
So there's code words that they're using.
And they're doing it quietly.
Hershey is not going out there and saying, hey, we're innovating.
We've taken the king size, fast break, and we've gotten rid of milk chocolate.
And at your request, we're now using compound coating.
Please rush, because it's not going to last if you don't get there in bio.
They're not doing it.
Yeah.
You know, one of the things that I see from a CX perspective is these quiet swaps really
erode the emotional anchor of what Reese is always bit.
You know, and that nostalgic milk chocolate and peanut butter, what is the comfort candy
for so many millions and millions of people all over?
What this, to your point, Brad, this waxy imitation is really something that really needs
to be addressed.
And you know, what's interesting is because they've done this very subtly, they've done
it through these quiet swaps, which people don't know because the branding all looks the
same.
The packaging looks the same.
It kind of makes, I saw some interesting comments online on social media where people
were like, thank you, Brad, for bringing this up because I thought I was going crazy
that my like, I'm old and made me my taster, and so I was just like, this doesn't really
taste like that.
My favorite candy of all time, right?
And so that's really something that I feel like, you know, Hershey's has been doing to
all of these beloved candies, you know, by doing this quiet swap.
And it actually makes the consumer question themselves, right?
Because like, you used to, you know, crave that.
And now you're like, what is this really, is this, this is so processed that it doesn't
even seem the same.
Yeah.
I had a similar experience.
That's, you know, I had the, not the little heart, but the big, like, the five ounce
heart.
And I, I took a bite of it, you know, around Valentine's Day, and I just thought there's
like maybe not enough in too much of everything all at the same time, and it just doesn't have
like, it didn't, you know, you come to expect what Reese's taste like, and that's why you
keep going back.
And it just, and I don't know the ingredients.
I didn't do a chemical compound taster or anything.
But I, as a, as a discerning, you know, lover of the Reese's brand, I took a bite and said,
what is this?
And then I had a second thing, not weak Reese's product.
And it just wasn't what I want, what I would want or expect from the company.
So then realizing it, it's become like Melissa, not just crazy.
Like wait, maybe there's something to this, and then Brad, you set it for everybody.
Like there's a moment here, right, right.
And I think it's also a moment for competitors, right?
Because, you know, you know, competitors can come in and be like, I mean, I used to complain
at my office because we had this organic Reese's, it wasn't a Reese's cup, but it was organic,
dark chocolate, almond butter, cup.
And I mean, same shape, they use the same shape as Reese.
And I was like, this is not a Reese's cup.
Like why are we buying this?
But it was real chocolate.
So there you go.
That's why you're buying it because now this is the taste is what matters.
And it's really, you know, it's an unfortunate thing because, you know, for you, Brad, this
is your family legacy.
And this brand is beloved.
And it's, you know, you're kind of positioning, you know, it's a flagship trust symbol
Reese's is.
And so to have these ingredients that just invite scrutiny, I mean, it's it's slander to
your family, right?
You know, because that's not what, oh my god, your grandfather would be, you know, just
horrifying by this.
So.
Yes.
They also have to point out also, I love the almond joy, also love mounds.
And both those products no longer have milk chocolate.
It's compound coating chocolate candy, they're calling it.
So so these are very important candy brands that are famous that are getting the same
treatment as Reese's.
And it is, it was so devastating to me that I mean, my website and my LinkedIn profile
was Brad Reese growing Reese's worldwide one peanut butter cup at a time.
And I was really successful using LinkedIn to contact distributors in Poland, Germany,
France, England, Australia, New Zealand.
And it was a fascinating for me and promoting Reese's.
And when they did this, when I realized what has happened, the ship from real milk chocolate
to compound coating, I can't promote my, my family heritage brand.
I can no longer promote it because I don't believe in it anymore.
I mean, it's devastating.
Yeah.
Right.
It's just destroyed my whole.
And for two days, I, I soaked and didn't realize what am I, what do I do now?
Because I can no longer go forward the way I was promoting Reese's.
And that's when I changed my website and my LinkedIn profile to Brad Reese, protecting
the Reese's brand integrity.
So I pivoted.
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And that's a, that's a crucial pivot when you go from ambassador and champion to defender,
not defender protector or prosecutor, basically, I mean, pretty much, right?
And the labels don't lie.
Every national news media outlet has verified gone out and checked the labels so forth.
So it's been verified.
And as you say, all the Reese's lovers always thought there was something wrong with their
taste buds are getting old something because they have, in this country, we have generations
of tasting what the Reese's peanut butter cup tasted like so we had that background,
that knowledge, that taste sensory history.
And so we are noticing the differences.
And it's, it's amazing because everybody thought it was just them.
Now everybody else is saying, yes, me too, and you're not the only one.
So yeah, it's a breakthrough moment.
So why, at least with the response that I saw from her, she's was to do the PR play
of saying, no, no, it's, it's you.
It's not us.
We're the same.
But why, why do you think that was their gut reaction?
Like to get on top of the story, do you think that there's something verifiable about
the ingredients not being the same?
I think they maybe were concentrating on one formulation or one ingredient, but not
looking at the, the ones that are being questioned.
Like it was just a very confusing moment because everyone knew that there's, there's been
changes.
So they come out and say, no, nothing to see here.
That seemed very just tonally off for the moment, at least to me.
Well, what do you think, Melissa?
Why do you think they did what they did or ordered it the way they did?
Well, I mean, obviously it's like you, you've already brought up.
It's the cocoa shock and input costs, the prices, the pricing.
You know, they're trying to kind of mask it in innovation.
I would, I don't know if it's innovation, but it's taking advantage of seasonal activities.
So having races in the shape of parts and different line extensions, that's really great.
But it's all about profit, Brad, you've talked about it.
It's all about profit at the end and it's disregarding the family legacy.
It's disregarding the consumers and what they want.
And you know, I think sometimes consumers are okay with changes and shifts in certain
processes and operations and can understand the cost to impacts.
But at the same time, this is about taste.
This has always been about taste.
It hasn't, it's not, you know, this isn't like I'm not talking about the operations in general.
I'm talking about what is the fundamental component of races.
So to me, this is really a real challenge about how you use, you know, transparency
because the Hershey company is just saying we care most about profit, which is what every
company cares about, unless they're a nonprofit.
And we know Hershey says not a nonprofit.
So they really care about, you know, how are they, you know, and you, you've mentioned
this before, how are they with their share price?
How are they answering to the board, all of those kinds of things around their portfolios.
So, you know, from a business strategy lens, you know, they're, they're going from being
the best, you know, in this component, races being the best.
And they're okay with that because they're engineering a margin that's better for them.
So really, this is going to be, you know, it'll be interesting because in today's world,
Brad, you know, there's a lot of cancel culture, there's a lot of that going on viral.
And I think there have been viral moments and you've really raised attention to this
issue.
So the problem really, to me, is that the lack and Aaron, you know more about this from a
brand perspective, but just the real lack of transparency.
And then I mean, you know, they're not saying to you, Brad, that they haven't done this.
They're just saying we'd like you to stop being so adamant about your position and take
down your posts.
So, but they're, but they're not defending their position and saying, Oh, but we really
do have, you know, milk chocolate in there, you know, they're, they're not saying that
at all.
So let me interject.
This was not, this was when I was in the promotion mode, okay.
And I'm talking about class action lawsuits and so forth.
This was not, this was not the ingredients.
They didn't tell me to take, they didn't request or ask me to take down my, my LinkedIn
posts about the ingredients.
This was prior to this happening when, when I would touch a nerve or something, it wasn't
what I posted was inaccurate.
It was accurate.
They just didn't want it to be seen.
And so I obliged them because I thought why not create goodwill and so forth.
But anyway, so Reese's no longer tastes like Reese's.
So right.
So they've hollowed out the most famous chocolate brand in the world, basically.
And what's interesting is the opportunity, okay, racist is the only Hershey's product that
could use the most popular chocolate brand in any country, any region of the world as
our chocolate coating.
Just hearing in the United States, we could be using Goodiva chocolate as racist chocolate
coating.
Mr. Gellie, you name it, a guitar chocolate covering.
And even dub, I'd even propose to the president of Mars, Wittrigley, to that Reese's should
come out with a limited edition, Reese's covered with dub chocolate.
And also a, and that's Mars, and then also Reese's filled with M&M's.
Now they all laughed and thought I was joking, but I'm serious.
You can imagine a Reese big cup stuffed with M&M's, the two most famous brands in America,
sales wise, best number one, number two.
And so, but what's really interesting is now I'm hearing from Hershey employees.
And they're validating everything I'm saying.
What's really interesting is the equipment at the Reese planet, 925 Reese Avenue, which
was the plant, my, my, my father and my uncle's built, my father, my grandfather started
it, but he died before it opened.
Well that plant is built for milk chocolate.
And the compound coatings are coming up the machinery.
Oh, nice.
So the production lines, the production lines are closing down.
And when you've got a production line down, you're costing you millions of dollars.
So they're stooping for the pennies.
I mean, they're stooping for the pennies and passing up the dollars.
So here they're using this cheap compound ingredient, okay, to save a buck.
But it's causing their equipment to crash because that equipment is designed for milk chocolate.
Yeah.
That's not designed for the vegetable fats and all the compound ingredients are using.
So, so, I mean, this is not, I'm not, this is true.
Now can I confirm it?
No, nobody at Hershey's going to confirm that.
There's people at Hershey that have for years been working.
And by the way, I'm not, I'm not criticizing employees at Hershey.
They're doing what they're told.
But there's employees at Hershey that have been trying to keep the standard identity
of Reese's products intact.
And they're constantly fighting the engineers who are squeezing out every last penny of profit.
And they won.
So the engineers squeezing out every last penny of profit have won over the food scientists
who have been trying to protect Reese's historical milk chocolate and peanut butter sensory
field taste.
So yeah.
Well, what's interesting, Brad, is such a cannot, if this is happening, which sounds like
it probably is, it's, we'll speculate, but it's such a cannibalization because of Hershey's
chocolate is the ingredient, part of the ingredient brand that goes into your Reese's.
Then the experience is the Hershey's chocolate, too.
It's a showcase for the entire line, right?
If consumers can connect it and say, I not only enjoy the Reese's experience, but the Hershey's
chocolate experience, why don't I go investigate other products or revisit them?
But if you have the opposite reaction, it's, you know, again, if you connect the two brands
together, which is a portfolio brand family, but it's, they go together by this point and
consumers minds, then you're going to say Hershey's less, less than they used to be from
this one experience.
You can, you can change your purchasing habit pretty quick.
And I think Hershey's going to find that out.
Yeah.
I'm the grandson of Aspiris and I have no interest in buying another Reese's product.
Yeah.
And that's, you know, how devastating that is.
Yeah.
I mean, I used to eat it every day.
Every day I need, I mean, I wouldn't buy one every day to keep my freezer afridged, but
every day I would have one just to remind me because Reese's is lightening in a bottle.
Everybody from the four year old up to the hundred and four year old loves Reese's and my
grandfather used to say, if you can make a product that both young and old and can enjoy,
your potential customers only limited by the number of people on earth.
Yeah.
So I was on a mission growing Reese's worldwide, one peanut butter cup at a time.
I was on a mission to go bring Reese's worldwide because it truly is disruptive to all the
other candy products out there.
So Aaron, I mean, what do you think Hershey should be doing as far as PR and responding
to their ingredient issue?
I have an idea, sorry, to jump in there Aaron before you start.
Hold on to it.
Yeah.
I mean, go for it.
Brad, you don't even realize maybe, but you kind of brought it up.
So I love this idea of having a new HB Reese legacy brand, okay, that is a spin off and
it's a premium brand because we're back to chocolate wax, which is not chocolate.
With verified original ingredients, you can mark it up because it's premium and anybody
knows you say premium and you say exclusive, you know, exclusive legacy brand.
And then really, I think it would be wonderful if, you know, utilizing the right ingredients,
you know, original recipes that you guys could share, you know, that kind of thing.
Also, the partnerships that you just mentioned, Brad, like those are wonderful ideas, innovative
ideas of like, hey, HB Reese legacy brand is in partnership with Gear Deli, celebrating,
you know, I'm making this up.
I used to live in San Francisco.
I shouldn't do this, but 200 years of Gear Deli chocolate, right?
And you can come up with some really great, you know, you know, trolley car on the packaging,
whatever it might be.
But that would be a fantastic way to preserve the legacy.
And then also for Hershey to see, what do people and consumers really want?
Because honestly, I'm willing to pay more for real chocolate.
I don't want to keep putting wax in my mouth because, you know what, that's not the rush
I was getting from the Reese's cup that I usually have.
And I seriously, my husband is addicted to them.
And so they're sitting in our, in our for you in a, in a candy jar.
But that's interesting, you know, because it hasn't, they really haven't been the same.
So, and it's been years and years that he's been doing it.
So anyway, I just feel like that's actually a possibility.
They're a fix Aaron.
And I don't know what you think from a brand perspective that could be.
Oh, no, actually, so, but so with the current ingredients compound coating,
you have to understand Melissa that people will still buy the Reese's products
that have the compound coating.
There's no doubt people will still buy it, okay?
That I'm not discounting that at all.
But it's interesting you brought that up, Melissa, about HP Reese and his name,
image and likeness.
We offered that my brother is a sole legal owner.
And, and I, through me, I offered that to, I contacted way over a hundred
Hershey executives on LinkedIn and heard back from four saying that that wasn't
their department or whatever.
But zero, I got, I got no reply, nothing, okay?
So, I mean, I proposed that.
I mean, I've proposed that the HB Reese and, and, and, and use the old family recipes,
okay, which, which family members have, okay?
And so, that's a proposal and, uh, you might be seeing something shortly.
I did meet with, uh, Jimmy Donaldson, Mr. Beast.
Yeah, okay.
But that interview, I love that, the HB Reese signature line.
What I wouldn't love is if that, you pay a premium for a premium product,
which obviously it would be, it would be, I wouldn't love paying that for what a Reese's
peanut butter cup used to be until recently, you know?
Oh, I see what you're saying.
Yeah, um, I would do it.
And I'd probably train myself and do it over time.
But I wouldn't, I wouldn't love paying, you know, the, uh, for a premium product when
the original, like, the self product should be what, it should be the standard, you know?
I'll pay, I'll pay more for premium.
But let's return the standard to what it, what it, what it, what it was first.
That's, that would be my pushback.
Yeah.
You're putting a very good point in that the current,
Reese products out there in the shelves right now,
or in the shelves where the historical Reese's products have been.
And you're no longer getting the Reese taste, but guess what?
The prices are rising.
Right.
They're actually raising the price for this compound coating.
Right.
I mean, so, so they're actually paying more for, uh,
genuine imitation.
But I mean, well, it's, it's, it's, it's laughable.
I mean, you're paying more for a product that's inferior.
And you said you're, you're paying a little bit more for real.
I mean, actually, probably you'd be paying, paying now.
Yeah.
At least we'd be getting the real thing.
Yes.
Part of the, part of what they could, uh, what I haven't seen is, you know,
we, we know there was a Coco shortage and we know there were rising prices and, you
know, the part of the narrative, if, if there's a story to tell on their side could be,
look, we, we've, we've had these supply chain, um, escalations, everything cost more.
We all know as consumers, everything costs more.
Here's how we're approaching that.
You know, we, we're going to do the original line and it's going to cost more.
It's where you're going to do these mass market products.
And there's going to be some quality compromises for the moment, bear with us.
There's been a shortage, you know, and whether or not that's true to
the actual market conditions.
I don't know, but it's not, it doesn't seem like there's been this dialogue of,
let's pull you into this situation and what's been happening since you love our product so much.
Let's tell you what, what's, what's going on here.
So I think that's part of people are just guessing.
Yeah, you bring up a good point, Aaron.
And I asked, I asked you, Aaron and Melissa this.
So they're blaming the Coco bean volatility, okay?
But you do realize they're not only replacing milk chocolate with compound
quantity, they're replacing the peanut butter with peanut butter cream.
So Aaron, what have you been reading?
Is there a, is there a peanut shortage?
Not that I've heard.
Why are they going to eat a peanut butter with peanut butter cream?
So if they're using the argument that the Coco beans are reason why we've
done away with milk chocolate.
And so what's the reason with doing the way with real peanut butter?
Because is there a peanut shortage?
Has had the prices soared?
I, I ask in both that, what's your?
Not that I heard.
Mr. Peanut died a few years ago on a super bulk commercial,
but he came back so as far as I know peanuts are alive and well.
No, so why have heard the substituting real peanut for fake peanut butter?
That's a fair question.
And if they were doing it, let's just say they were doing it behind, you know,
on behind closed doors.
Let's try this out.
Let's try this formulation, see if it flies.
If people say nothing and we, we pocket a little more, good for us.
But people said, wait a second, what's happening?
So where's the response to that?
That's where, and I'm not, you know, I'm not part of the family.
I'm just sitting on the outside as someone, you know,
this was like my best, my favorite treat growing up forever.
You know, you didn't have your whole life destroyed like I did.
Exactly.
Yeah, I mean, and I still take it personally.
Yeah.
Well, what if you, you know, you thought this is not the first, I guess,
coming to heads moment with the Hershey Company,
what, there's been other things over the years?
Yes, and I'd like to say that this current cocoa bean volatility price-wise and so forth,
it's down 70% from what it was.
But I mean, we're talking,
Reese is a 100 year old brand.
We've been dealing with cocoa spikes.
Pricing forever, okay?
So this is nothing new.
And also, you might ask yourself, why is it so volatile?
See, the thing's going on that Hershey has not done.
If you're, if you're operating your company strictly quarter by quarter,
the cocoa, the cocoa situation is a decade.
You got to be thinking a decade ahead.
So the executives at Hershey are not, they're kicking the can down the road.
So rather than tackle it head on right now, let's get this straightened out.
They're kicking it down the road.
They're not, they're doing PR.
So we bought a hundred, we built eight schools, 18 schools,
and we bought 1,000 iPads.
Like that's, you know, solving the cocoa of, you know, the farmer's situation.
And it's interesting.
Also in 2020, there was the African cocoa bean living wage.
And rather than Hershey paying that, they went to the cocoa exchange and bought the cocoa beans
for much, much less on the exchange.
So, and that was in 2020.
I'm not accusing Hershey of doing anything criminal,
but they have not addressed the cocoa volatility.
You just need to grab it and take charge in 10-year decade.
How many, you know, work your way through it.
You can't do it quarter by, you know, they're not doing anything.
So that's why the volatility.
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Well, Brad, what do you think about the product diversification
that there's just one resource at product after another?
Do you think that that part of contributed to
part of the, we'll call it like a dilution because you just can't keep the quality
standard across that many individual skews or is it, you know,
like is that part of the friction point?
I love it.
Yeah. I love the extent.
I absolutely am just, it's not enough.
Yeah.
Okay. It's not enough.
I came out with the Reese's credit card.
Orange credit card with the Reese's logo.
Yeah.
Well, I would be whipping that out
and paying for everything with the Reese to show my
love of Reese's and I know Reese's fans would, okay?
But that was again before the ingredient issue.
Lion extensions, what's interesting is that, for example,
General Mills, since 1994, has made Reese's Puffs cereal.
Have you ever had that?
Yeah.
Okay.
So there's a very successful cereal over 200 million in sales every year.
Now, Reese's Puffs cereal is big, huge success.
Try and find it on Reese's.com.
If you go to Reese's.com, it's nowhere to be found.
And it has Reese's.com lists all the Reese's product
manufactured by Hershey.
But none of the extensions.
So what's interesting, Hershey itself has done studies
that a shopper that buys a, for example, Reese's Puffs
cereal during the shopping trip, during that same shopping trip,
they bought four times more likely by a Reese's product
manufactured by Hershey.
So right there, their own study says,
if they could supervise a Reese's,
licensed product, there will four times more likely
buy a Reese's product manufactured by Hershey
during the same Hershey, during the same shopping trip.
Yet, Reese's Puffs or any of the extensions,
we're talking Chippsville Hoya Reese's,
we're talking the ice creams.
None of that is featured on Reese's.com.
Not even a peep.
So what I run into, especially when I'm wearing Reese's swag,
is people are not aware of all the different products.
Most people are aware of Reese's Puffs,
but they forget about that.
But they're not aware of the ice cream, the cakes,
the cookies, they're just not aware of it,
and cupcakes.
And so it's interesting that none of that is featured,
none of these extensions.
And by the way, we're over a billion dollars
and global retail sales of licensed Reese's products.
So there's a tightly controlled narrative around it.
But what's interesting from Hershey's standpoint,
when they're dealing with somebody that wants to license
the Reese's name,
the Reese's brand is so successful
that it can't be a small mom and pop shop.
It has to be a substantial corporation that has the means
to manufacture at scale because this is what's going to happen.
You're going to need a bigger,
when you call it in shark,
jaws a bigger boat.
You're going to need a bigger plant.
So it's interesting that the licensed products,
as long as they keep the signature Reese's taste,
I'm all for that.
But if the products are made by Hershey are no longer keeping the taste,
then you can imagine what's going to happen to the extensions.
And it's just going to become a mess.
Well, my run into a situation where some of the extensions
are actually upholding some of the original recipes,
or the integrity, or things like that.
And then Hershey's is going to find themselves
a spine-able on it.
Yeah.
Well, operationally,
you would think when you bring on the extensions,
and you have to,
you run through a checklist or call all these standards,
or things like that.
You're going to hold your licensees to a certain degree,
or you cut them off.
But we'll hold them to its fricter standard
than you do yourself.
Right.
With your own executive manufacturer.
Well, there's no standards now.
There's no standards that reach these.
That's one of the fixes that I would think of.
You know, if we're going to get that point, I'm sure we are.
I would say one fix is really important,
is to putting some governance around the Reese's recipes,
and setting up a Reese's Heritage Review Great.
You know, so any ingredient changes on Reese's branded products,
triggers a cross-functional check,
legal CX brand, the family,
on whether the name, packaging, and marketing
still match reality.
And then publish, you know,
and I think Brad, you've kind of already done this in your own way,
but like a short Reese's manifesto on the site
that will, these are the things that will never change.
What might change, and how they'll tell you when it does.
It's clear, and there's transparency there.
It's just not a PR line,
but it's a standard operating procedure and rule.
And telling the truth, I mean, I think you can do that
by like standardizing the language on anything
using the compound, right?
Using chocolatey candy with peanut butter cream, right?
Not just Reese's, not just using your name,
and then having the consumer assume that that's real chocolate
and it's real peanut butter.
And also maybe, you know, this is the age of QR codes,
Aaron, we've talked about that a little bit.
But, you know, having a comparison QR code on the back
that would say, this is what was in the original recipe.
This is what is in now.
Turning that into like an informed choice to your point, Brad.
People are still going to buy it, regardless of whether it's
waxy or not, but let's be clear that's what you're doing.
And then I think, you know, one of the things about,
Brad, you were asking about the peanut butter versus peanut butter cream.
And I think that one of the things they've said is that the cream
is a little more pliable because it's not geek butter.
So it allows for like different forms and the different shapes
that people love, you know, at different times a year.
But really maybe thinking about, again, going back to like the heritage
or legacy or signature brand, Aaron, that you were talking about,
you know, branding it in a way that you can roll back
to a couple of those fan favorite shapes
with the original ingredients.
And to keep the price competitive, you might not have to do what
companies are doing across the board when you go to the grocery store,
you know, you buy a box of cereal is half full now, right?
So maybe it's a little smaller, but it's got the original ingredients, right?
And you can't maybe do all the little cutesy or hearts and things like that
because the peanut butter is hard to shape it.
But, you know, I mean, who knows, let consumer have a clear choice
and let them pick from that Reese's original versus the new Reese's.
Yeah, yeah, I believe, I believe Hershey is misdirecting you
with it's more pliable, okay?
The peanut butter is all about profit, okay?
This thing about over the peanut butter cream is more,
or we can use it in more shapes and so forth.
It's all bunk.
That is total bunk.
I'm telling you right now, it's total bunk.
It's coming up their machines, okay, in their factory,
which used to work with real peanut butter, okay?
So this, this that is more pliable,
know it's causing them production headaches, okay?
They're doing it strictly to squeeze every pet, again,
they're stooping for the pennies and passing up the dollars
because they're using all these code words that's more pliable
and we can make better shapes and but it's all,
they're just making more money and cheapening the ingredients.
And so it's a good way to explain it
that our fans are demanding innovation.
And by the way, Aaron and Melissa, I'm totally for innovation.
Yeah, but I'm for creativity, quality innovation.
Yeah, exactly.
Innovation that erodes the the ingredient structure of races.
That's not innovation.
That's cost engineering.
Yeah, that's what what it is.
Completely.
It's not innovation.
Yeah, well, and I love what I don't know if you've been following
with Burger King's been doing, but they they've done studies
and people of the whoppers haven't been what they used to be
and they've been listening and they're about to relaunch the whoppers.
Like they're signature ingredient.
And I'm excited about like just why again, on the sidelines,
I'm like, good for you.
Like I love whoppers, I love whoppers, I love them.
Yeah, and it feels very like we're with you on this
as opposed to this moment with races where you know,
we haven't had that that open dialogue moment of look.
You're right.
You know, you you called it out.
Your taste buds called it out.
Let's let's get real.
And number one, let's let's you know, call it for what it is.
Yes, cocoa prices, shortages,
changing consumer trends, overextending product,
whatever it was like, you know, there, there's a perceivable shifting quality.
Here's what we're doing about it, you know, and it's a moment
where they could say like Burger King, you're going to come with us.
You're going to be you're going to taste test three variations.
You're going to taste the, you know what I mean?
Like, it could be a little bit of Pandora's box because the consumer
starts saying, well, I don't like that one or that doesn't taste right either.
You know, and then what do you do about that?
But yeah, so there's quality back in the 60s.
We came out with Reese's Scotchies and reaches Reese's Scotchies
was rather than using milk chocolate as the coating.
We used a butter Scotch coating.
Mm hmm.
And so it was delicious.
Sounds great.
It was you know, it invited the Scotch, the Scottish colors on the wrapper,
Reese's Scotchies, it was delicious.
So, you know, it's like, it was an errand.
If you guys were out on a sailboat, you, you ventured off course.
Yeah.
The wind was blowing and it took you off course.
So now you got, you need to turn around the sailboat.
You need to start tacking and doing your maneuvers to get back on course.
Well, Hershey has the opportunity to, okay, we got off course.
We ventured, you know, we ventured into uncharted territory.
We didn't really know.
We made a mistake and now we're tacking the ship back,
to get back to the course that we were on and admit that now we're
taking corrective action.
So that would be excellent.
I mean, Melissa, do you think that that would help?
I do.
I think that, I think whenever someone is off course,
it's important to map out what, where you need to go.
I think that like, it's, it's been such a, it's been such a really interesting
conversation that we've had today.
I mean, Brad, you've been able to bring such a, like,
strong perspective of what's going on.
And I think that we've talked many times, Aaron, about
profit and what it means and how it kind of blindsides companies.
And I don't even say blindsides companies.
That makes it sound like you're out prepared for blinds companies.
They don't, they can't see anything else.
And so I really love the fact that, you know,
you've been able to kind of bring that to the table for us, Brad,
and really kind of talk about like where resources has really come from and how,
you know, your protection of the legacy.
And, and also your understanding, I mean, I feel like it's not like you don't
understand that things need to change and things need to grow.
But there's a ways to do it that can protect that legacy.
And I think that's the thing that's so frustrating is that it feels like
the Hershey's company in general has just been trying to pull a fast one on everybody.
And that doesn't feel great.
And so that's one of the things that, you know, I think
they have, they have hundreds of people who work in marketing.
And communications and brands and brand loyalty and and customer experience.
Right. And so like those folks, like, you know,
instead of hiding under the blanket, like, what are they doing about this?
And I think you're opening up this whole dialogue.
You're opening up, you know, questions.
People are finally, like I said to you, I'm like, oh, so I'm not crazy that the taste is different,
you know, and I just really like, again, thank you for that perspective.
But I also think from an operational perspective from where I'm sitting,
I look at this as not very different than a lot of companies
who have kind of gone through this.
And to Aaron's point, you're seeing a shift with certain brands who are saying,
oh my gosh, you know, this is what we have to do to kind of regain that customer loyalty.
And when customers go, when companies go against the grain, so violent, you know, so like,
crazy, I mean, this outrageous, yeah, it's about taste.
It's like, it just feels really, you know, like that can't be a good business decision.
But obviously, they've looked at the data, they've decided, I mean, you know,
we've talked about a lot of different companies on this podcast.
And they've all done things that have really fundamentally driven them away
from what their core mission and value set has always been.
And yet, they somehow survive.
And to your point, Brad, people will still buy it.
And that's what's kind of, you know, kind of a frustrating juxtaposition of the entirety.
So yeah, yeah.
And my police so that Hershey believes that their products are still going to sell,
I mean, that's what they, you know, they've got all the data and so forth.
And they're a very smart organization.
So that's what's so, you know, remarkable about this decision is, I mean, they're, like you
said, they have thousands of people, they're, their foods, scientists are part non.
I mean, they're really, so there are people in Hershey fighting to keep the standards of chocolate.
Okay, that using real milk chocolate and using real peanut butter,
there are employees that are there, but they're being overwhelmed.
And they're not winning against the cost engineers who do nothing but, but refine and refine
and refine and squeeze every and, of course, those go to the CEO and, and, you know, and that's
going to push up their earnings per share. And he gets paid tens of millions of dollars by
hitting those EPS. You know, hey, it's the short term incentive for this, to think leadership
of the Hershey company that's led to these decisions. Yeah. This is not long term. And this,
and, and you could make so much money just keeping the taste, this, the taste, historical taste of
recess, it's so much money to be made. It's, it's mind boggling. And if they just would concentrate
on the quality and bringing back the, the taste, historical taste sensory taste of Hershey
of Reese's, they would make so much money. Again, they're stooping for pennies and passing up
the dollars. And you guys nailed it. There have lots of opportunity to turn the ship around. Yeah.
It's an aircraft carrier. So it's not going to turn on a dime. Yeah. But to start and,
what it was becoming transparent and admitting that the customers didn't demand innovation of,
the innovation of removing milk chocolate and putting compound coating is an innovation that
that was demanded by the, the consumer. That's, I mean, you believe that? I mean,
it's Hershey's basically applying that. No, because everyone's telling them the opposite. They're
saying we don't, we don't like this. And the voices are just going to keep getting louder and
louder. And the company keep doing, you know, a profit squeezing and doing what they want. But
if you get to the point where you cut into a Reese's and there's one peanut sitting there,
where a puff of air comes out, like, you know, no one's going to like that. So, um,
Is that the open story? So the almond joint, the almond, you'll have a peanut butter cup with
a single peanut one peanut. The rest is cream, the peanut butter cream. Oh,
special. Yeah. Alright, we're, we're fixing this. So here's what we're going to do.
First of all, listen to Brad. I mean, thank you, Brad, for telling us all, we're not crazy and
being a champion for everyone who loves this brand and saying, uh, just, you know, just bring it back.
Like, it's not that hard. There's ingredients we all like, um, put them, put them back where they
came from and we'll all just say thanks. There's, there's a moment of the company to have that, that,
really just heartfelt moment to say, maybe we lost our way. Maybe they, you know, we, we agree
with you. We love this product too. We love it as much as you do. Um, we're bringing it back.
Why can't we all, they could do that pretty quickly operationally. So let's do that. And then
make that the new baseline standard. Maybe it costs a little more because everything costs more,
but what are you going to do? Um, I love the HBS, the signature line or the original line as a premium
or experimentation type of product or opens, unlocks the Reese's brand up to unexpected brand
partnerships and on her, she's ingredients. And I think that's, that's genius. Um, I would love to
see that come to market. So I'm, I'm all on board on that. Um, and even if it's not the answers
you want to hear tomorrow, you know, but there, there are, there's admission and mistakes or there's
admission of, look, here's the market factors that we want to let you in on or here's our, here's our
18 month road map toward, you know, quality preservation, whatever, like just have those conversations.
But having all of it behind, uh, non-transparentally where we don't know what's, what's even happening
and getting, uh, getting brought into this discussion behind, behind a carefully guarded
response. That's not even addressing Brad. Well, you've brought to the table. Um, that's not going
to cut it. We're not happy. What are you doing? It's a Reese family turmoil. Yeah. Some Reese,
some Reese family members support what we do. And so Brad Reese is just his opinion. Sure. And
supported by those, well, it's not my opinion. It's labels. It's verifiable labels. It's not
opinion. Right. But it's, you know, trying to make it, uh, they're trying to switch the narrative
that this is a personal, this is a family dispute. And yes, there is a family dispute. Yeah. But
that doesn't, that's not the, uh, the, uh, subject. It's not the issue. It has nothing to do with
what they've done to the ingredients. Okay. We reach family members that agree with the Hershey
company and say, yeah, squeeze every last penny out of the product. Okay. And they're, and they're
Reese family members. And I still love them. They're my family. But, uh, and there's others like me
who, who, uh, believe that, you know, the, the taste is the key. Yeah. And, uh, you know, I'm not
trying. I mean, they're saying they're speaking of my grandfather. We're very, HB Reese, we'd be
very happy. Uh, no longer having milk chocolate and real peanut butter in there. And that's their
belief. And I'm like, great. You know, but I think that also what Aaron and Melissa, you guys have
kind of touched on is what is the competition going to do? This Hershey, I think has opened up
a huge, uh, I mean, like, I mean, they might have had a dam with a few cracks. Yeah. You know,
companies, uh, one example, the vice president of Hershey, who ran all 20 of the global plants
of Hershey has bolted to Justin's peanut butter cups. What does that tell you? He starts, uh,
in a week or two, right? Which is owned by Hormel and Austin, Minnesota. Yeah. But still,
Justin is an up and coming competitor. And the guy who ran all the plants for, for the Hershey,
I mean, all 20 plants is now their vice president supply chain at just peanut butter cups. Yeah,
he said, right. The Poppy, the soda brand, they just had a super bowl commercial because they kept
out and they kept investing. And now they're, they have a seat at the table, or maybe they didn't
have to, you know, if the, if the soda company is innovative and, and didn't open themselves up
to a market opportunity. So I think festivals peanut butter cups, I think festivals peanut butter
cups, uh, I met with Mr. Beasts on Sunday and person and up in North Carolina. And, uh, I think
what they're doing, uh, with the opening they've been given with their, their, uh, feast,
feastable spinner bar cups, wish by the way, are very good. I mean, it's a worthy competitor.
Definitely very good. Um, but they're going to make, hey, they, they are going to take big, uh,
uh, uh, take this opening and, and, and, and, and, uh, because it's a once in a lifetime opening
for other peanut butter cup competitors to, to address the Reese's ingredient, uh, issue.
So, yeah, for she's opened up their competition to, uh, they're, they're on the, what, the,
the firing line or what do you call it? They're, they're, they're, everybody's going to be after
going after them. Yeah. You know, and all these with their peanut butter cups and trader Joe's,
uh, right. Well, that's what I heard this past week when I've been talking with people about
this, you know, this situation they've been saying, well, have you tried this other one? It's
actually pretty good. So yeah, along with the undercurrent of the centers, it's undercurrent
of new loyalty. Um, yeah. So it's betrayal. Yeah. Reese's, uh, Reese's has betrayed its royal
fans, it's loyal fans. And when you betray your, I mean, I'm betrayed, everybody's betrayed.
So you're going to look for replacement. Yeah. And so again, her, she's done it to themselves.
It's, it's, it's my wuggling. Yeah. With like, what's the thousands of executives who do nothing
but marketing and, and, uh, panels, tastes and, and all the, all the, and AI and all the stuff
they use, how can they have done this? Yeah. It's like, what broke there is that, is that pursuit of
the dollar overtaken common sense? It looks like it. Hmm. Well, Melissa, I'll ask you first. If,
you know, if they switch, get very open and transparent about the narrative, um, admit,
wherever mistakes were made, that they were made, um, wherever swap outs were made, that people
consumers pointed out and said, we don't like this about you. We used to like this about you. The
fix is simple. Bring it back. If they bring it back and they do it in a way that like similar to
Burger King's doing where they say, we hear you, we're going to absorb some costs on it. We want to
make this right. Um, we're going to do it as quick as possible in a, in a, in a responsible way.
Um, and let's return the original line to, you know, to, to the standard you used to, you,
you're, you, you've come to expect from us for years, decades. Um, and then we come, you know,
we do like a signature line and we watch for the extensions and make sure they're all representative
and they all carry out the, the, the quality and, and each, each one like I agree, brothers,
there can never be enough if they're good. Bring it on. You know, um, if we follow those,
you know, that, that kind of process or do, do we fix this? Do we make it better? Well, let's
also ask you first. I think we've provided some fixes. I think even going further is the idea I
had, based on some of the conversations that we've had today, but like putting governance
around the recipes, setting up like a Reese's heritage committee. I don't even know what we
want to call that, but a review. So any ingredient changes can be very clearly communicated if that's
going to be what's happened and agreed upon. Um, I love the idea of the signature or the original
line, um, because I, I do know that her shoes, it's, it's about profit. I get it. Um, and there
are a lot of people who might not care, right? Um, customers that don't care. But I do think that
they have that ability because there's so many people that have the nostalgia for the original.
You see a lot of different brands going back to that. Like, oh, this is the original, you know,
Levi's, you know, this is the original, all the, all the kind of original types of things. And I
really feel like Reese's has that opportunity. And I do also think that there is a need to keep
your eye on the competitors to see how they're kind of, how they're kind of flooding the market.
Because I think, um, to Brad's point, like, you have to look to the future and know that the,
now you've opened the floodgates. And so you really have to kind of make a stance, you know,
you really have to make a stance. And I do love the idea of like, you know, going back to the
original, but also being innovative about that and finding really great partners who stand with
what Reese's really is all about and the heritage of Reese's. So, um, I hope that Hershey's and some
of those 400 executives, Brad, that you were speaking of thousands of milliseconds. Yeah,
let's do our podcast and listen to what we have to say because I don't think it's just us
raising the flag. It's about, you know, how do you make it work? And, um, as a lover of Reese's,
um, for a very long, all my life, um, I hope that they will listen. Yeah.
Same, Brad, if, you know, I know there's a lot of history here, but if tomorrow, if Hershey's
said, Brad, you're right, we hear you, we're doing everything you're asking us to do starting now.
Does it, does that help? Does it diffuse the situation? Are we on a better track?
Yeah, then I can go from protecting Reese's brand integrity to growing Reese's worldwide,
one peanut butter cup at a time. So I pivot immediately. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah,
I would be right there, but as it is right now, uh, I can't, I can't go along with the,
if swapping out the ingredients that they've done. Yeah. And, and you guys have pointed out that
the opportunity is still there. Um, and I'm really not have any expectations that they will
address it. I really don't expect them to. Yeah. Unfortunately. Uh, but as, uh, uh, it was
Glenn Beck. We had me on on the radio on his radio. He said, um, he said Reese's represents
the United States. It's, it's a heritage brand. And if Reese's no longer Reese's, what else
is no longer in our country? What? What? It's becoming almost a patriotic thing like it's, it's,
it's Americana. I mean, if Reese's can no longer be Reese's, then what else in our society is no
longer? Uh, sacred. I mean, the taste, the taste of Reese's is actually sacred to Reese's fans.
It is. It is. Well, maybe we can do some good here. Well, you never know. We're putting it out
there in the world that, you know, they, Hershey's with you a lot better with you as the,
you know, global ambassador and, and spreader of goodwill and opening these doors than as a,
the detractor that's just saying what we're all thinking. So we'll, we'll push things in the
right direction. I mean, I could switch horses. I could switch horses real quickly. Oh, that's
true. Yeah. It works real quickly. Yeah. So I'm not bound by, you know, uh, but it, it really is
disappointing, so disappointing. And I just, you know, I thank, thank you very much, Melissa and
Aaron for your encouragement and support. Yeah. This is, you know, it's so important to me that you
guys are doing this because unless, unless the Reese's fans speak up, uh, right,
Bruce Lee company all is, I think they're listening. I mean, I have to now, don't think. I mean,
I would assume so. And so if you just read my, it just read the comments to my, to my uh,
LinkedIn posts. Yeah. It is funny. It is. Yeah. The amount of, of upset people are. Yeah.
The comments are just, it's the frustration is so unbelievable. Yeah. And they all thought it was
just them is, you know, my taste buds changing. And my wife used to love them, you know,
a longer has them, no longer eats them. It couldn't figure out why. And some people actually
saying they get sick now when they eat Reese's for whatever reason. Okay. So I mean, who knows? But,
you know, the point I'm trying to say is that the comments, there's nobody saying, yes,
I'm so relieved they got rid of milk chocolate. Right. And they use it. Right. Yeah. And this is
Cody. I was saying that there's no, no controversial counterpoint. They taste better now. Actually,
guys, yeah, what are you talking about on the other side? Yeah. You're agree. Right on. I've seen. Yeah.
Well, this is an evolving story, of course. Before we go, I'd like to give a ton of appreciation
to Brad Ries for joining us during this very busy time. We're going to keep watching this story
unfold. Before you go, Brad, give it, what's, give everyone your website and let's, you know,
your LinkedIn, how could we track along with you? Well, just, you know, just go to a Google type in
Brad Reese. Yeah. I'm not the rancher. I'm not the right, I'm not the guy that was on Survivor.
Okay. I'm, I'm, I'm, but yeah, Brad Reese.com. But if you just go to or any search in a type in
Brad Reese, I'm not the rancher on the survivor. I'm the other Brad Reese in Florida at the beach.
You're the guy wearing that. They're wearing the Reese swag. Yeah. Yeah. I'm, I'm the, I'm the one
wearing the Hawaiian Reese shirt. But yeah, so I really, truly appreciate everything that you guys
are doing to bring tension to the ingredients shift shift. And hopefully, Hershey will pay attention.
Hopefully Hershey will dress it where if, if, you know, if, if I'm not satisfied, hopefully,
most of the Reese's fans will be satisfied. Yeah. I mean, I'm 70. I'm, I'm, I'm on my way out. So
it's the future generations that need to be a good with this. And so I hopefully Hershey will,
will make it appealing for Reese's fans going for the younger generations to enjoy it. Yeah.
What's interesting is Hershey is really pushing what they call better for you.
And better for you is like with their skinny popcorn and dots pretzels and lesser evil.
But it's interesting that they're saying they're, they're building a better for you portfolio. Yet
the flagship brand Reese's, they're doing worse for you. So they're making the better for you
and they're snacking. But in races, it's worse for you by degrading the ingredients. I mean,
it's just, your brain just go cool.
It's a big wall. We're here for their side of the story too. If they want to come on with us,
we'll, we'll mediate, you know, we'll, we'll create some good and real time too. Um, so they,
like I said, we're, this is going to be out there. They can, they can respond and listen and
do what they're going to do next. Um, and like, you know, between all of us, Brad, you've got the,
you've got the most influence. So, um, well, the balls in their court. Yeah. I mean,
why not play? I mean, they're Hershey for Christ's sake. Yeah. Come on. Yeah. I mean, you're,
you're, you're an American institution. Yeah. You're a Hershey PA. Come on. Hershey. Yeah.
It's balls in your court. Take it, run with it and, and, and deal with it. Yeah. So I wouldn't
be shy if I were them. I would definitely be on your show. Don't be shy. No, come on,
come on, Hershey. Well, thank you, Brad. Thanks, Melissa. All of you listeners can catch our past
episodes that we fixed at pod.com. That's we fixed it pod.com. We'll have a new one for you next week.
Maybe with Hershey, we'll see. Uh, until then, stay original and we will see you next time.
We Fixed It. You're Welcome.
