US snacking powerhouse Hershey is set to highlight new ‘better-for-you’ products at the upcoming IAADFS Summit of the Americas in West Palm Beach, Florida, 16-19 April.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup THiNS, in white and milk chocolate, offer ‘lighter alternatives’ to the brand’s regular product line-up as Hershey also adds Lily’s zero-added-sugar chocolate tablets to its travel retail portfolio.
THiNS are included in Hershey’s development plans for its Reese’s brand and its Americas travel retail ambitions.
Hershey Director World Travel Retail Rebecca Wong Wong noted that Hershey – despite the challengers of the last few years – has grown its share of the Americas market and is focused on strengthening that position.
2022 marked a positive year with sales in the region exceeding pre-pandemic levels, bolstered by a strong performance in Latin America.
“According to a recent Barry Callebaut study, almost three in five North American consumers prefer chocolate that has multiple tastes and textures, and Reese’s – with it’s smooth, salty peanut butter filling and crunchy, sweet chocolate exterior – is the perfect combination,” Wong said.
The Peanut Butter Cup THiNS, which are 40% thinner than the regular Reese’s line and contain approximately 40 fewer calories, have already proven popular on the US domestic market.
“The quest for healthier lifestyles has led to a strong desire for better-for-you confectionery, but consumers have not given up their love of indulgence,” Wong added. She noted m1nd-set research which indicated that ‘to indulge’ was the number one confectionery purchase driver in 2022, and showing strong growth versus pre-pandemic. Hershey believes its THiNS range straddles both need states.
“For many confectionery consumers the solution is not to switch to a healthier option, but instead to cut back on the regular product,” Wong said. “THiNS address this perfectly, allowing consumers to make a more mindful choice while keeping indulgent chocolate part of their routine.”
Wong believes that the trend towards healthy snacking is “now impossible to ignore”, as consumers look for ways to manage their sugar intake. ‘Better-for-you’ was highlighted as the third-largest demand moment for confectionery snacking in travel retail in a Hershey Confectionery Segmentation Study in collaboration with m1nd-set last year.
The company is responding to demand by launching Lily’s – a high-growth manufacturer of zero-added-sugar chocolate that Hershey acquired in 2021 – into travel retail this year. Lily’s chocolate tablet portfolio includes Sea Salt, Salted Caramel, Cookies & Crème and Blood Orange flavours.
Citing the Barry Callebaut study, Hershey claims that almost half of North American consumers want chocolate to be low in sugar, up +17% versus two years ago. The sugar-free chocolate market in the USA has doubled in the last five years to some US$260 million.
“We recognise the role indulgence plays in confectionery, and delivering this will of course remain Hershey’s core focus,” Wong added. “That said, better-for-you confectionery should be available for those who want it, and we believe duty free shoppers currently face a very limited offering.”
According to Hershey, efforts to improve the health benefits of chocolate by lowering sugar content are “not always met with enthusiasm”. “But Lily’s – which has shown +64% CAGR over the last five years in the US domestic market – proves that healthier chocolate can also deliver on taste.”
“We are really excited about the prospects for both THiNS and Lily’s in travel retail,” Wong said. “We believe both launches align perfectly with current consumer trends and will allow us to offer Hershey’s much-loved brands to an even wider range of shoppers.”
Hershey products will feature with Otis McAllister (Stand #201) at the Summit of the Americas. 
