Brad Reese, the 70-year-old grandson of the man who invented Reese’s, has become Hershey’s most persistent critic, publicly defending the family recipe and the brand legacy, writes Katie Deighton for The Wall Street Journal.
When he is not celebrating Reese’s, he is constantly busy criticizing its Hershey-based owner.
“They ruined my fun,” he said.
Among his most strongly held beliefs are that Reese’s Puffs Cereal, made by General Mills, should be promoted on Hershey’s website, that Hershey should launch a Reese’s-branded credit card, and that the brand should receive more advertising investment in Europe.
Above all, he fears that any alteration to the ingredients could undermine consumer trust.
He recently sent a Valentine’s Day letter to Hershey executive Todd Scott, accusing the company of stealthily substituting cheaper ingredients for the usual milk chocolate and peanut butter. The post went viral after being amplified by YouTube star MrBeast.
According to Hershey, no alterations have been made to the popular peanut-butter cups, and the company explained that recipe tweaks for some products are intended solely to enable new shapes, sizes, and innovations.
Read more about Brad Reese and how he’s defending the Reese’s recipe and the brand’s legacy in The Wall Street Journal.
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