"The little-known stories behind well-known inventions"

After two failed businesses, inventor proves that third time is the charm

By Paul Niemann

[SEPT. 8, 2005]  The inventor was born in 1857 on a farm in Derry Church, Pa. Since his middle name was Snavely (I kid you not), we'll just use his first name, which was Milton. Despite being in a very competitive industry, his main product has been a top seller for more than 100 years. The inventor might not be in a class by himself, but it sure doesn't take long to call roll.

Things weren't always so good for this young inventor, though. Milton's family didn't have much and, after two business failures, he was nearly broke at age 30. Despite this, he went on to create products that have been enjoyed by probably every man, woman and child in this country.

Milton's first company was a candy company that he started in Philadephia in 1876. It failed after six years, so he tried again later that same year with another candy company. That business failed too. Nearing bankruptcy in 1890, he started his third company, a caramel company that he named the Lancaster Caramel Company, and this one succeeded. It was located in Lancaster, Pa.

After the success of the Lancaster Caramel Company, which he sold for $1 million, he started another company a few years later and named it after himself. The company bears his name to this day. The main product was a candy bar that carries Milton's name.

Milton even has a town named after him. No, it's not Milton, Pa.

His company is located in Hershey, Pa. As in Milton Hershey, the inventor of the Hershey candy bar and founder of the Hershey Foods Corporation. There are a lot of successful inventors who build successful companies around their products, but there aren't too many who can build company towns around the company.

Milton Hershey's legacy includes much more than just candy bars, though. Not having much of an education himself, Milton and his wife, Catherine, used their wealth to fund numerous schools in Hershey. One of those schools is the Milton Hershey School for Orphans, which they started in 1909. The school is still in existence today, as is the town of Hershey.

The company is doing pretty well too. It has more than 13,000 employees worldwide and rings up more than $4 billion in sales every year, exporting to more than 90 countries.

[Paul Niemann]

Paul Niemann may be reached at [e-mail].

© Paul Niemann 2005