Sweets for my Sweet

With Valentine’s just a week away, loved ones may be scrambling for last minute gift ideas for their special someone. When it comes to Valentine’s presents, most gift givers can’t go wrong with wrapping up a box of chocolate.One of the top-selling chocolates is Hershey’s. Most people know where the famous chocolate comes from, but they aren’t sure what year it was established. So for this month’s Streetwise question we asked people to take a guess at what year the Hershey Chocolate Co. was founded, and then we asked them to reveal their favorite type of chocolate or candy.Hershey’s originated in 1894 when candy manufacturer Milton Hershey decided to produce sweet chocolate as a coating for his caramels. Located in Lancaster, Pa., he called his new enterprise the Hershey Chocolate Co. In 1900, the company began producing milk chocolate in bars, wafers and other shapes. With mass production, Hershey was able to lower the per-unit cost and make milk chocolate – at one time a luxury item for the wealthy – affordable to all. One early advertising slogan described this new product as “a palatable confection and a most nourishing food.”Looking to expand its product line, in 1907, the company began producing a flat-bottomed, conical milk chocolate candy, which Hershey decided to name HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates. At first, they were individually wrapped in little squares of silver foil, but, in 1921, they introduced machine wrapping. They also used the technology to add the familiar “plume” at the top to identify the HERSHEY’S KISS Chocolate as genuine. In 1924, the company had it trademarked.Source: www.hersheys.com/discover/history/company

Glen Kirkham FalconMy favorite kind of chocolate is dark nugget from See’s Candy. And I would guess Hershey’s was founded sometime in the 1930s.
	Hannnah Dunn DivideI like milk chocolate. I don’t know: 1957?
Adolfo Morales FalconMy favorite kind of chocolate is Godiva, like the popcorn or pretzels covered in chocolate. And I actually don’t know what year Hershey’s was found. I’m going to say in the 1950s.
	Randy Heinze FountainI really like Reese’s Pieces. But I haven’t had any for a while, and I won’t until the whole peanut butter thing blows over. And I’ll guess 1937 is the year Hershey’s was founded.
Candy is dandy 1,198 – Number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2005: These establishments employed 38,718 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 128, followed by Pennsylvania with 121. Source: County Business Patterns 477 – Number of locations that produced non-chocolate confectionary products in 2005: These establishments employed 21,389 people. Source: County Business Patterns $14.9 billion – Total value of shipments in 2006 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products: Non-chocolate confectionery product manufacturing was a $6.2 billion industry. Source: Annual Survey of Manufactures 3,412 – Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2005; they are among the most popular sources of sweets for Valentine’s Day. Source: County Business Patterns 26 pounds – Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2006 Source: Current Industrial Reports Flowers $411 million – The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2006 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales: Among states, California was the leading producer, accounting for about three-quarters of this amount ($316 million). Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service $31 million – The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2006 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 21,135 – The number of florists nationwide in 2005: These businesses employed 101,861 people. Source: County Business Patterns Jewelry 29,624 – Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2005: Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2007, these stores sold $2.5 billion in merchandise. Source: County Business Patterns and Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services The merchandise at these locations could have been produced at one of the nation’s 1,798 jewelry-manufacturing establishments – the 2005 total. The manufacturer of jewelry and silverware was about a $10 billion industry in 2006. Source: County Business Patterns and Annual Survey of Manufactures Source for all of the above statistics: U.S. Bureau of Statistic and www.census.gov