Chocolate aficionados are only now realizing how Hershey’s Kisses got their name

A sweet surprise! Chocolate aficionados are stunned when they discover how Hershey’s Kisses really got their name

  • Hershey’s Kisses are a popular ingredient for chocolate lovers in the US
  • The bite-sized sweet treat has been produced for over a century
  • But many are only just realizing how Kisses got their name – so do you know?

Hershey’s Kisses are a popular ingredient for chocolate lovers in the US.

The sweet treat has been in production for over a century and was first manufactured in 1907 at the company’s factory in Derry, Pennsylvania.

And the bite-sized pieces have grown in popularity, becoming “one of the leading chocolate products in the world.”

But many are only now realizing how the Kisses got their name – and the truth may surprise you.

Hershey’s Kisses are a popular ingredient for chocolate lovers in the US – but many are only now realizing how the Kisses got their name

The sweet treat has been in production for over a century and was first manufactured in 1907 at the company's factory in Derry, Pennsylvania

The sweet treat has been in production for over a century and was first manufactured in 1907 at the company’s factory in Derry, Pennsylvania

Hershey’s Kisses are instantly recognizable as the foil-wrapped, flat-bottomed teardrops.

And they always have a strip of parchment paper – called a “feather” – that completes the aesthetic.

As with many success stories, there are multiple versions of how the signature confectionery got its iconic name.

But the one theory that is most accepted is that it all has to do with the sound and movement of the machines that make the sweet treat.

Not only does the dispenser seem to ‘kiss’ the conveyor belt as it deposits the chocolate, but it also makes a similar ‘kissing’ noise during production.

It is estimated that the company produces 70 million Kisses every day – and the product itself has a varied history.

Kisses were in production from 1907 to 1942 and were not produced until 1947 due to aluminum rationing during World War II.

During that nearly six-year span, Hershey converted its Kisses production equipment to produce chocolate D rations for the United States military.

The one theory that is most accepted is that it all has to do with the sound and movement of the machines that make the sweet treat.

The one theory that is most accepted is that it all has to do with the sound and movement of the machines that make the sweet treat.

It is estimated that the company produces 70 million Kisses every day - and the product itself has a varied history

It is estimated that the company produces 70 million Kisses every day – and the product itself has a varied history

Milton Hershey registered a trademark for the name Hershey’s Kisses in 1921.

They were reintroduced in 1947 and the Kisses brand has since added a slew of other flavors to the product line.

In 2007, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their production, Hershey’s unveiled its biggest Kiss yet.

It weighed 30,540 pounds, which is the equivalent of over three million standard-sized Kisses chocolates.