The grandson of Reese’s inventor is publicly challenging Hershey over alleged ingredient changes, sparking a bitter family dispute that reveals deeper tensions between tradition and modern business practices.
The Accusation That Stirred the Pot
When Brad Reese posted his open letter on LinkedIn last week, he probably didn’t expect it to ignite a family war. The 70-year-old grandson of H.B. Reese, who invented the iconic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928, accused Hershey of quietly replacing the candy’s core ingredients with cheaper alternatives.
‘My grandfather built Reese’s on a simple, enduring architecture: milk chocolate + peanut butter,’ Reese wrote in his February 14th post. But today, he claims, that formula is being rewritten by ‘formulation decisions that replace milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut butter-style crèmes across multiple Reese’s products.’
The timing couldn’t be more pointed. Reese says his breaking point came when he bought a bag of Valentine’s Day peanut butter-and-chocolate hearts – a new release from the company. ‘I had to throw it away. It wasn’t edible,’ he told reporters. For someone who used to eat a Reese’s product every day, this was devastating.
The Corporate Response and Market Reality
Hershey pushed back firmly, insisting that ‘Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they always have been.’ The company acknowledged making ‘product recipe adjustments’ for new shapes and sizes, but maintained they’re protecting ‘the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special.’
Behind this corporate speak lies a harsh economic reality. Cocoa prices hit a staggering $12,000 per metric ton in late 2024 – a 500% increase from 2022 levels. The chocolate industry has been scrambling to manage costs, with many manufacturers adjusting formulations, shrinking package sizes, or raising prices.
What makes this controversy particularly sharp is the regulatory nuance. Under FDA rules, products need specific amounts of cocoa butter and milk solids to be labeled as ‘milk chocolate.’ Companies can sidestep this by using terms like ‘chocolate candy’ or ‘chocolate-flavored coating’ – precisely what Reese alleges is happening with products like Take5 and Fast Break bars.
A Family Divided by Money and Legacy
The family feud erupted when Reese’s cousin, Becky Hilgers, sent him a heated text message: ‘You have created a nightmare for our family and the company. You might be in legal trouble because your unfounded negative comments have affected the price of the stock.’
Hilgers, a realtor in the Hershey, Pennsylvania area, accused her cousin of being ‘spiteful’ and seeking attention. She suggested his bitterness stems from his father squandering the family’s Reese fortune, leaving nothing for the next generation.
Brad Reese fired back, claiming Hilgers is more concerned about her Hershey stock portfolio than the brand’s integrity. The family sold the Reese company to Hershey in 1963, but some relatives apparently still hold shares through trusts. Despite having no official connection to the brand for over 60 years, Brad has served as an unofficial ambassador, wearing Reese’s merchandise and operating a fan blog.
The Broader Industry Transformation
This family drama unfolds against a backdrop of unprecedented change in the chocolate industry. The cocoa crisis that began in 2024 has forced manufacturers worldwide to rethink their approach. Weather disasters, crop diseases, and supply chain disruptions in West Africa – which produces over 70% of global cocoa – created the perfect storm.
While cocoa prices have since fallen more than 70% from their peak, the damage was done. Companies like Mondelēz reported 10% drops in earnings, and even industry giants like Lindt admitted prices will never return to pre-crisis levels.
The controversy has attracted attention from unexpected quarters. YouTube star MrBeast used the opportunity to promote his chocolate brand Feastables, tweeting: ‘FYI this is why Feastables started selling peanut butter cups. We use real peanut butter just like you’d find in a jar.’
When Tradition Meets the Bottom Line
What started as one man’s complaint about candy quality has become a case study in how heritage brands navigate modern economic pressures. Brad Reese represents something increasingly rare in corporate America – a family member willing to publicly challenge a company over quality concerns, even when it affects relatives’ financial interests.
The irony isn’t lost on industry observers. H.B. Reese created his peanut butter cups in his basement nearly a century ago using simple ingredients. Today, his grandson finds himself fighting a multi-billion-dollar corporation over what he sees as the erosion of that legacy.
Whether consumers will notice or care about these ingredient changes remains to be seen. Hershey’s Chief Financial Officer claimed extensive consumer testing showed ‘no consumer impact whatsoever’ from formula adjustments. But Brad Reese insists people regularly tell him Reese’s products don’t taste as good as they used to.
As cocoa markets stabilize and the industry adapts to new realities, this family feud serves as a reminder that behind every beloved brand lies a complex web of tradition, innovation, and inevitable compromise. Sometimes it takes a grandson with nothing left to lose to ask the uncomfortable questions about what we’re really eating.
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