The word Hershey's conjures up one of the strongest types of sweet cravings that people could be conscious of. Each of us has a special memory associated with the brand name Hershey's, whether it be Hershey's Kisses or Hershey's Chocolate Syrup.

As we grew older, Hershey's Kisses evolved from being simple candies into professions of love. Because we have so many fond recollections of Hershey's chocolate, it is the first name that comes to mind when we think of chocolate syrup.

How many of us are familiar with the man who inspired the chocolates despite their well-known brand name? The name of the guy with the mystical hands who bestowed upon us the beloved milk-chocolate treats is Milton S. Hershey.

But were you aware that Hershey had to conquer several setbacks in order to produce something that would appeal to a wide range of generations?

Hershey failed the first twice he attempted to realize his goal of producing the finest candy. He became utterly bankrupt, but he fought back to pursue his ambition, and in the end, he overcame all difficulties to create his own town from nothing.

Short background story about Milton Hershey

Hershey was born in Pennsylvania’s little town of Derry, and because of his father's ongoing "quick ways to make money" scams, which kept his family constantly on the road, Hershey didn't have access to a very decent education.

By the time he was 13 years old, he had gone to six different schools. Despite the fact that he was a bright child, his mother had taken him out of school after the fourth grade so he could pursue a trade.

Hershey first worked as a printer's apprentice, but he didn't like it. After working for the printer for two years, his mother helped him land a new apprenticeship position in the confectionery industry. It was then that he first met the woman who would later become his true love.

Learning the trade's secrets

Hershey gained knowledge about the craft of candy manufacturing while working at the Lancaster candy store. He experimented with everything, from caramels to fudge and peppermints, and he greatly loved the educational experience. He had, at last, discovered his calling.

The Great Risk and Failure

He made the decision to start his own confectionery company when he was just nineteen years old after discovering something he wanted to pursue for the rest of his life. To start his firm in Philadelphia, he took out a loan from his family members. But as luck would have it, despite his best efforts, he was unable to generate any revenue. He quickly ran out of money and had to shut down.

The second fall

Hershey persisted in pursuing his goals despite initially failing and didn't give up. He relocated to a new city and began employment with a confectioner. He gave his goal one more go by opening a new sweets store in New York City. Unluckily, he failed the second time too.

Return back to home

Hershey eventually relocated back to Lancaster and opened a new candy company that only produced caramels. Hershey found that this was a highly profitable endeavor. He would soon establish several candy-making facilities and branches around the nation. Hershey experienced wonderful success this time.

Hershey's Chocolates' establishment

Following this achievement, Hershey made the decision to scale down. And he was quite capable of doing it. Chocolates! He made all of his money from selling his caramel company for $1 million by investing it in chocolate production.

His goal was to provide tasty, inexpensive chocolates for the average person. So he made the decision to construct a factory for the same in a rural area. The new obstacle, though, was how he would house the employees of his enterprise. 

The town establishment of Hershey

Hershey saw the need to move his facility to accommodate the enormous demand after Hershey's Chocolate Company experienced rapid growth. Derry Church, Pennsylvania, where Hershey was born, was to become Hershey, Pennsylvania after he broke ground there in 1903.

Hershey made the decision to build a community out of his employees rather than merely a workforce after learning from both his own failures and those of his other businesses. In order to maintain the happiness and health of his employees, Hershey built a carefully calibrated infrastructure of homes, schools, churches, and parks in Derry Church. As a result, Hershey's manufacturing employees were among the finest in the industry and put more thought into their goods than employees in other sectors.

Even now, Hershey's Chocolate Company strives to provide its employees access to unheard-of resources. The town is filled with several leisure areas, including conference centers, swimming pools, and an amusement park. The business supports making future investments in its workers.

Hershey today

Currently, Hershey's is among the world's largest producers of chocolate. Its yearly sales in 2010 were close to $5.5 billion, and earnings from that amount were $500 million. There are now about 14,000 people employed at Hershey's. It began as a tiny supplier of only one type of chocolate and has now developed into the one-stop provider for all the world's chocolate requirements. Hershey's will always be renowned for the excellence and dedication with which it conducted business. Due to its current popularity, only a very small percentage of Americans today may not have used it at least once in their lifetime. The enormous success that Hershey's has so far experienced may be directly attributed to the founder's vision and ideology.

That is the story of a hard-working person who altered his own path, achieved his goals, and produced the finest chocolates we still eat today.