How, then, did this “vomit” flavor come to be associated with all American chocolate, and not just Hershey’s? The answer is simple: Hershey’s invented chocolate as a mainstream treat, therefore becoming the brand every other brand would look to. Plus, in American chocolate’s early days, Benjamin said, there weren’t hard lines between candy producers.
“Candy companies made candy for each other,” she said. “Wilbur Chocolate was making chocolate for Hershey’s, and Hershey’s was making chocolate for other companies.”
“It’s hard to imagine now, but in the way that Samsung provides things like screens for Apple’s iPhones, Hershey was providing milk chocolate and cocoa to all sorts of competing candy manufacturers,” Liebig said.
As Hershey’s became the dominant chocolate on shelves across America, its formula and flavor became the dominant chocolate experience. Brands either emulated the Hershey’s flavor or were sharing the formula in production partnerships. This became what all Americans knew as chocolate. As D’Antonio points out, through generation after generation, many American children first experience chocolate from Hershey’s. They know this is a treat, something that everyone likes, and they form a lasting association between that Hershey’s flavor and indulgence.
Adding that so much of the reasoning behind a person’s favorite foods is nostalgia and memory, D’Antonio said, “I know a lot about chocolate, I’ve had chocolate from all over the world, and somehow I still associate Hershey’s with what tastes best.”
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“Candy companies made candy for each other,” she said. “Wilbur Chocolate was making chocolate for Hershey’s, and Hershey’s was making chocolate for other companies.”
“It’s hard to imagine now, but in the way that Samsung provides things like screens for Apple’s iPhones, Hershey was providing milk chocolate and cocoa to all sorts of competing candy manufacturers,” Liebig said.
As Hershey’s became the dominant chocolate on shelves across America, its formula and flavor became the dominant chocolate experience. Brands either emulated the Hershey’s flavor or were sharing the formula in production partnerships. This became what all Americans knew as chocolate. As D’Antonio points out, through generation after generation, many American children first experience chocolate from Hershey’s. They know this is a treat, something that everyone likes, and they form a lasting association between that Hershey’s flavor and indulgence.
Adding that so much of the reasoning behind a person’s favorite foods is nostalgia and memory, D’Antonio said, “I know a lot about chocolate, I’ve had chocolate from all over the world, and somehow I still associate Hershey’s with what tastes best.”