Hershey's Just Dropped 2 New Chocolate Bars — But They're Only Available In This Country

The candy landscape has many players, but few names immediately spring to mind like Hershey's. This iconic American brand based in Hershey, Pennsylvania has been around since 1894. Part of its immense success is due to Hershey's continued innovation, with frequent offerings of new and exciting flavors — like two recently launched semi-sweet chocolate bars, Cookies 'n Cherry and Cookies 'n Caramel. The kicker is that, for the time being, these tempting dark milk chocolate bars are only available in Brazil.

One might argue that Hershey's could rest on its laurels, sticking with flavors like the classic Hershey's milk chocolate bar, which sells at a staggering rate of 373 million per year. But that's just not the brand's style. Hershey's has continually defined the candy industry over time, with ground-breaking form factors and flavors that are now intrinsically linked with its brand, like Hershey's kisses (the origin of which is a total mystery). 

These two new bars lean heavily on perennially popular cookies and cream flavors, but add the accents of robust cherry and sweet and salty caramel, all married in 40% cacao bars. This combo gives the new bars a decidedly darker chocolate profile. For comparison, Hershey's milk chocolate bars have 11% cacao.

Hershey's undoubtedly leans heavily into consumer tastes and trends as part of its research and development. The drop of these two new bars fits squarely with a National Confectioner's Association report from 2024, which indicates that 47% of consumers prefer their chocolate with an added ingredients like caramel, almonds, and peanuts. Caramel has the most appeal across all age groups, making Hershey's new Cookies n' Caramel bar extra relevant. The report also indicated Americans rate dark chocolate as their second favorite kind of chocolate, only after milk chocolate. Hershey's new offerings up the game, incorporating bits of cookies along with the added cherry or caramel, all enrobed in darker milk chocolate. Both bars sound pretty decadent.

If Hershey's history has any bearing, these new chocolate bars could be poised for a meteoric rise. It certainly has a knack for being the brand behind chocolates that strike a huge chord with customers worldwide. Its top-selling candy is none other than Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which earn a remarkable three billion in sales annually. Who is to say how far these two new chocolate bars will go — but for now, Hershey's will test the market in Brazil. Here's hoping they land on a nearby shelf in other countries soon.