The Staggering Number Of Hershey Chocolate Bars Made Each Year

Hershey, one of the oldest and most famous chocolate brands in the world, is a household name. In the United States, Hershey's chocolate bars seem to be sold just about everywhere, from big box stores where you can buy them in bulk to small corner convenience shops. The company's website, Hersheyland.com, actually states that Hershey makes approximately 373 million of its classic milk chocolate bars each year. And while the company doesn't reveal the exact number of bars sold annually (as it likely varies), one can surmise that it's quite a lot.

The brand has come a long way since its signature chocolate bar hit the market in 1900. Hershey's flagship product, which would later be dubbed "The Great American Chocolate Bar," may not be available everywhere today, but can be found in many countries across the globe including Canada, Japan, Malaysia, and many more. Despite how many bars the company churns out in 365 days, though, Hershey's isn't the top chocolate producer in the world.

While Hershey (the parent company that makes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) reportedly brought in $10.4 billion in revenue in 2022, the company was outsold by Nestlé, Mondelez International (Cadbury), Ferrero Group (Ferrero Rocher), and Mars, Inc. Nestlé, known for Kit Kat bars, topped the chart that year with approximately $98 billion in product sales.

Hershey didn't actually feel the need to compete until the Mars Candy Company shook up the market in the 1960s. This is what eventually led to an ad campaign in which Hershey promoted its product as "The Great American Chocolate Bar." The campaign would run throughout the '70s until the mid-'90s. So, the company might not be the biggest seller of chocolate out there, but it's still one of the most iconic names in the industry. And while there are popular chocolate brands on the market, none compare to a bite of a classic Hershey bar.