The Hershey Company traces its origins to the 1880s, when Milton S. Hershey founded the Lancaster Caramel Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After seeing German-made chocolate-processing machinery at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, Hershey decided to go into the chocolate business.

In 1894 he started a chocolate company that had various confections on the market by the following year. In 1900 he sold the caramel company to a competitor and began the manufacture and sale of milk chocolate bars. The business was so successful that in 1903 Hershey started work on a new factory in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. It eventually became the world’s largest chocolate-manufacturing plant.

In 1908 the Hershey Chocolate Co. was incorporated, and in 1927 it was reorganized as the Hershey Chocolate Corporation, a publicly traded company. Under the guidance of Milton Hershey —the product line steadily expanded, with the introduction of Kisses (large morsels) in 1907, Milk Chocolate with Almonds in 1908, Mr. Goodbar (with peanuts) in 1925, and Krackel (with crisped rice) in 1938.

During the 1960s Hershey bought the manufacturer of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and two pasta businesses. In recognition of its diversification, the company was renamed Hershey Foods Corporation in 1968.

Two notable changes came shortly afterward. After many decades at 5 cents, the price of the standard milk chocolate bar went up to 10 cents (bar size had diminished over the years). And in 1970 the company responded to increased competition—most notably from Mars, Inc.—by advertising to consumers for the first time.

Hershey had offered tours of its factory to the public since 1915. In 1973, however, the factory tours ended and Hershey’s Chocolate World, a kind of museum with interactive exhibits, opened as a replacement.

In 1998 the company sold off its pasta operations. Hershey Foods Corporation was renamed Hershey Company in 2005. In 2018 Hershey again branched out from candy with its acquisition of Amplify Snack Brands, maker of SkinnyPop popcorn.

Today, Hershey's chocolate is available across the United States, and in over 60 countries worldwide. They have three large distribution centers, with modern technology and labor management systems. In addition, Hershey is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation.

According to en.wikipedia and britannica.com