The grandson of the man who created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups said Tuesday that the Hershey Company has not contacted him following his public criticism of the brand. He also accused company leadership of arrogance toward the Reese family.
On Feb. 14, Brad Reese, the grandson of H.B. Reese, who created Reese’s in 1928, wrote an open letter expressing concern about alleged ingredient changes associated with the Reese’s brand.
“How does The Hershey Company continue to position REESE’S as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built REESE’S trust in the first place?” Reese wrote.
During an appearance on “The Glenn Beck Program,” host Glenn Beck referred to the dispute as the “chocolate wars” before pressing Reese on whether the company had responded to his concerns about changes with Reese’s.
‘I mean, talk about a conflict of interest.’
“Nothing. Zero,” Reese said.
“They are so arrogant and condescending to anybody, especially in the Reese family, I find, unless they want something from you,” Reese said.
Hershey said in a statement: “As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes, and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.”
Reese told Beck that tensions with company leadership date back years. He said he “kind of burned ... bridges” after helping stop the proposed sale of Hershey in 2002.
“You have to understand, the Reese family has been creating the wealth there,” Reese said, arguing that the family has long played a role in building the company’s value.
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Photo by Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
He also discussed what he described as internal conflicts involving the Hershey Trust and past corporate leadership. Reese referenced a cousin who previously served as general counsel for Hershey and later became president of the Hershey Trust Company, which controls the Hershey Company. According to Reese, his cousin worked to “clean up” issues within the trust and the company.
Reese then turned to what he described as a missed “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” when Hershey pursued a $19 billion acquisition of Cadbury Schweppes. He said the deal was “locked up” before it ultimately fell through and Kraft acquired Cadbury instead.
Reese alleged there were conflicts of interest involving former executives and advisers tied to competing bids during that process.
“I mean, talk about a conflict of interest,” Reese said.
He also questioned whether corporate decisions driven by profitability are sustainable “long-term.”
“Wall Street loves when you increase your margins at whatever cost to the public,” Reese said. “It’s long-term, is what I’m getting at. Is this going to not work out long-term?”
Photo by Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Reese framed his concerns as rooted in protecting what he views as his grandfather’s original legacy and questioned whether current corporate decisions serve the long-term interests of the brand.
Hershey did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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A Canadian newspaper has smeared the U.S. Men's gold medal-winning Olympic hockey team and calling them "monkeys."
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The House Oversight Committee's first closed-door hearing with the Clintons concerning their ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein encountered a brief snag moments into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's deposition.
Members of the committee traveled to Chappaqua, New York, this week to depose Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, after months of back-and-forth negotiations and a vote finding the two in contempt of Congress.
'Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a picture. Does this sound desperate to you?'
Hillary Clinton was scheduled to testify under oath on Thursday and Bill Clinton on Friday.
After initially defying congressional subpoenas and then pressing the committee to hold public hearings, Hillary Clinton's team abruptly halted Thursday's closed-door deposition when a photograph of her from the session was leaked on social media.
The picture of Clinton was shared by political commentator Benny Johnson, who stated that it was provided to him by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
"This is the first time Hillary has had to answer real questions about Epstein. Clinton does not look happy," Johnson wrote.
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Photo by Melina Mara - Pool/Getty Images
A short time later, Nick Merrill, a Clinton adviser, exited the deposition hearing to address the media. He explained that the session had been temporarily paused after a photograph was posted to social media, which he described as being "against chamber rules that were read at the top of the meeting."
Johnson responded to Merrill's announcement by highlighting the inconsistency: Clinton had advocated for a public hearing, yet her team was displeased with the release of a photograph.
"The deposition is being filmed and will be released in full. Hillary wanted it to be done LIVE on TV. Rep. Boebert gave me permission to post a photo she took before the hearing started with credit," Johnson wrote in a post on X. "Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a picture. Does this sound desperate to you?"
Boebert replied to Johnson's comments, defending him for posting the photo of Clinton.
"Benny did nothing wrong," she wrote, adding that the deposition had proceeded after the temporary pause.
Ahead of Thursday's deposition, Clinton posted her opening statement on social media. She insisted that she has no information regarding Epstein's criminal activities or those of co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
"As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices," Clinton wrote.
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Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
She accused House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) of refusing to hold any public hearings regarding Epstein.
"You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions," she stated.
Comer has not ruled out holding public hearings, but has insisted that initial depositions will be behind closed doors.
Maxwell previously stated that she had gone to the Clintons' Chappaqua home "a few times." Maxwell also attended the wedding of the Clintons' daughter in 2010.
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A former U.S. fighter pilot known by the call sign "Runner" has been arrested for allegedly conspiring to train Chinese military pilots, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
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An adviser at the U.S. State Department posted photographs from a visit from right-wing U.K. activist Tommy Robinson on Wednesday and outraged many politicians across the pond.
Joe Rittenhouse, a senior adviser at the Consular Affairs bureau of the State Department, posted the images and called Robinson a "free speech warrior."
'We need to engage this administration on the difference between that and incitement to violence and racial hatred.'
British politicians immediately lambasted the visit as an affront to U.S-U.K. relations. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has a history of criminal convictions related to his activism against mass immigration and Islam.
"The World and the West is a better place when we fight for freedom of speech and no one has been on the front lines more than Tommy," Rittenhouse added. "Good to see you my friend!"
Robinson posted a video of himself interviewing Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida and made the rounds to speak to many media outlets on the right.
Meanwhile, back in Britain, the politicians fumed.
"Yaxley-Lennon is being touted around Washington as a ‘free speech warrior.’ We need to engage this administration on the difference between that and incitement to violence and racial hatred," said Labour MP Emily Thornberry, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. "There should be no place in any democracy for the latter."
Labour MP Alex Ballinger said in a statement to Politico he was "disappointed" that the State Department had hosted a "convicted criminal" and "far-right agitator."
"Having worked alongside U.S. diplomats for many years, I suspect many of them will be embarrassed about it too," he said.
Labour MP Phil Brickell called the meeting a "complete outrage" and accused Robinson of peddling "racist tropes" in the past.
"The guy holds no elected role," Brickell added and questioned what basis the U.S. government had to recognize him.
A spokesperson for the State Department told Politico that Robinson visited "in an unofficial capacity on a tour."
"The government needs to send a clear signal to the U.S. president that this is unacceptable," said former Foreign Office Minister Catherine West, who went on to call the meeting "incredibly alarming."
She added, "For the U.K.’s key ally to do so is frankly disgraceful."
On the other hand, a spokesperson for the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer downplayed the visit.
The spokesperson said Robinson was "not a representative of the U.K." and added that the meeting was "a matter for the U.S. administration" and "not for me to speak to."
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Robinson went on to mock the negative coverage of his visit by some in the media.
"I posted a photo at the US State Department earlier, the legacy media have been falling over each other to condemn my visit, devastated that their decades of slandering is now transparent," he wrote. "Their power is gone."
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