Who owns Hershey's?
Hershey's is owned by Hershey (the United States, NYSE: HSY).[1]
Evidence: The Hershey Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-17, SEC EDGAR, 17 February 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- The Hershey Company verified
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Hershey, Pennsylvania
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Hershey, Pennsylvania
- Founded
- 1900
- Category
- Food › Confectionery › Chocolate
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: HSY
- Trademark registrant
- HERSHEY CHOCOLATE & CONFECTIONERY LLC (USPTO)
- Last verified
- · 3 sources
About Hershey's
The Hershey's milk chocolate bar went on sale in 1900, made possible by Milton Hershey's process for mass-producing milk chocolate, which had been a Swiss speciality. Its slightly sour note, from the company's own milk handling, defines what American chocolate tastes like to many consumers.
Trademark record for Hershey's
The USPTO record for the Hershey's mark lists HERSHEY CHOCOLATE & CONFECTIONERY LLC as the owner of record (serial number 71016827). That name matches the owner named above.[2]
Ownership timeline of Hershey's
Where Hershey's sits in Hershey
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Hershey ownership tree →
See the full Hershey brand portfolio (12) →
Other brands owned by Hershey
Hershey controls 12 brands on Brandtree, 12 of them in food.
Also in food
- Almond Joy (1946)
- Dot's Homestyle Pretzels (2011)
- Heath (1928)
- Hershey's Kisses (1907)
- Ice Breakers (1996)
- Jolly Rancher (1949)
- PayDay (1932)
- Reese's (1928)
- SkinnyPop (2010)
- Twizzlers (1929)
- York (1940)
Other brands in chocolate, and who owns them
The 131 brands in chocolate on Brandtree belong to 45 owners. The largest is Mars, with 9; Hershey has 6.
About the owner: Hershey
Hershey is a publicly listed company headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, founded in 1894. Brandtree records 12 brands under its control, and it is listed as NYSE: HSY.
The Hershey Company was founded by Milton Hershey in 1894 and is controlled by the Hershey Trust, which funds a school for disadvantaged children and holds the majority of voting power. Hershey makes Cadbury and KitKat under licence for the United States market.
🇺🇸 Hershey's and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Hershey's is not one of them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Hershey's?
The parent company of Hershey's is Hershey, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Hershey's American?
Yes. Hershey's originated in the United States in 1900 and its owner, Hershey, is also headquartered in the United States.
Is Hershey's still owned by Hershey?
Yes. As of 3 October 2026, Hershey's is still owned by Hershey. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (3) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] The Hershey Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-17 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 17 February 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [2] USPTO: HERSHEY'S, serial 71016827 — United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark registry; retrieved 3 October 2026.
- [3] The Hershey Company: A History of Goodness — The Hershey Company, Official document; retrieved 3 October 2026.
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