The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is introducing new products to its growing sweet, salty and better-for-you portfolio and showcasing its packaging strategy during the National Confectioners Association’s 2025 Sweets & Snacks Expo from May 13-15 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
As consumer preferences continue to evolve across the snacking landscape, Hershey is strategically expanding its portfolio with innovative offerings that blend beloved classics with new flavors and textures. At this year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo, the company is not only showcasing its commitment to product innovation but also unveiling a transformative packaging strategy designed to enhance the shopping experience and bring additional value to shoppers. With a carefully curated selection of new products spanning traditional chocolate favorites, expanded sweet and salty categories, and on-trend formats, Hershey continues to strengthen its position as a leader in meeting diverse consumer needs while providing retail partners with powerful growth opportunities.
Elevating Chocolate
Hershey is introducing several new chocolate innovations that tap into its beloved brands, including:
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Caramel – Hershey’s makes s’mores nights even sweeter with a caramel-filled twist on the classic Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar. This rich, gooey upgrade adds an unforgettable layer of flavor to every bite.
Hershey’s Kisses Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ – Combining the number one chocolate brand for families with a favorite in the cereal aisle, this limited-edition offering taps into a loved and trending flavor.
Reese’s Pieces Bark with Reese’s Pieces Minis and Peanuts – A combination of Reese’s signature peanut butter, Reese’s Pieces Minis and roasted peanuts.
Reese’s PB&J Big Cups – A nostalgic take on the classic PB&J, available in both strawberry and grape flavors for a limited time, fans can decide which Reese’s PB&J Big Cup is best.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie Miniatures – Featuring bite-sized Reese’s stuffed with graham-style cookie pieces and Reese’s signature peanut butter filling, this new addition will make consumers forget all about traditional pie.
Reese’s Jumbo Cup – Equivalent to four standard size cups in one, this mega-sized treat is available for a limited
time.
Expanding Sweets
Hershey is also innovating in the sweets space to meet growing consumer demand. Hershey is expanding its Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies collaboration with basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, after a successful year-one launch. The latest product innovation will feature sneaker-shaped gummies inspired by O’Neal’s signature footwear.
In late 2024, Hershey announced its acquisition of Sour Strips to continue growing its sweets portfolio, reinforcing its commitment to bold flavors. The brand demonstrated remarkable momentum, posting an impressive nearly 50% surge in total sales2 over the previous fiscal year, outpacing category growth by a significant margin. The acquisition of Sour Strips represents Hershey’s strategic focus on relentlessly accelerating growth in the confection category while leveraging the brand’s powerful social media presence to expand its reach to new consumer segments.
Tapping into Trending Flavors & Textures
Hershey is keeping a close eye on trends in flavors and forms and introducing several new products.
Reese’s Filled Pretzels – These crunchy and slightly salty pretzels are filled with delicious, lightly sweet Reese’s peanut butter filling, delivering the snacking power of pretzels and the flavor consumers love from the Reese’s brand.
Jolly Rancher Chewy Poppers – This triple-layered innovation, with a candy shell, chewy core and fruity center, gives consumers a textured experience in a new form.
Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried – Fans of Jolly Rancher hard candy will be able to experience the impossibly fruity flavors in a delightfully airy, crunchy and snackable form.
Jolly Rancher Ropes – These ropes are packed with bold fruit flavors, offering a bold taste experience from the chewy outer layer to the flavorful inner filling.
Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels Buffalo Flavor – A zesty, bold take on the fan-favorite pretzel snack.
“The future of snacking is about meaningful innovation that resonates with evolving consumer preferences, and creates value for our retail and distributor partners,” said Tiffany Menyhart, Chief Customer Officer, The Hershey Company. “Our research shows that shoppers seek convenience and variety in their snacking choices, which is why we are investing heavily in stand-up bags for snack size chocolate and multipacks for our salty offerings. This strategic packaging transformation, plus a robust innovation pipeline across our entire snacking portfolio, solidifies Hershey as the category growth leader, while strengthening relationships with consumers and retailers for the long term.”
Winning with Packaging Strategy in Retail
As the leader in snack size confections, holding a 47% market share1, the company is strategically shifting snack size to meet evolving consumer needs as part of a comprehensive packaging strategy. This approach includes snack size bags designed to improve visibility and shopping convenience, ultimately enhancing the consumer experience. Virtual reality testing supports this decision, projecting a significant increase in snack size dollar and unit sales. Consumer testing demonstrated a 41% improvement in product findability compared to traditional laydown bags. Already experiencing strong growth in the snack size category, Hershey believes this transition to stand-up bags will further cement its position as the undisputed leader in snack size confectionery featuring their fan-favorite core brands.
In addition, Hershey has found that multipacks, the fastest growing packaging in salty snacks (up 14% in four years3, with 73.4% household penetration4), are a key growth driver. Recognizing this potential, Hershey is transforming its portfolio to multipack boxes and launching several new multi-brand variety boxes, currently rolling out in stores nationwide. The company’s research shows that 70% of consumers are loyal to their favorite salty snack multipacks, citing convenience, portability, and portion control as key benefits. Multipacks have become a powerful trip-driver, with retailers expanding shelf space to meet demand.
Visitors to the company’s booth (#2802) will sample products from various brands, including Reese’s, Hershey’s, Kit Kat®, Ice Breakers, One Bars, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels.
