Who Owns Pirate's Booty?

What does Hershey own?
Hershey owns a portfolio of approximately 10 major brands across confectionery and snacks, including Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat (U.S. license), Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty, Sour Strips, and LesserEvil. The company also owns manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, and India.

Is Hershey publicly traded?
Yes, The Hershey Company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HSY. The company has been listed since 1927. However, the Milton Hershey School Trust holds approximately 80% of voting power through Class B common stock, giving a charitable trust effective control of the publicly traded company.

Who founded Hershey?
Milton Snavely Hershey founded the company in 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He had previously founded the Lancaster Caramel Company in 1886. Hershey sold his caramel business in 1900 for $1 million and focused on chocolate, building a factory in Derry Church, Pennsylvania, which became the town of Hershey. He and his wife Catherine established the Milton Hershey School in 1909, funding it with their entire fortune.

Where is Hershey headquartered?
Hershey is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA. The town was built by Milton Hershey to support his chocolate factory and employees. The company has maintained its headquarters there since its founding, with manufacturing facilities in six countries and approximately 18,000 employees worldwide.

How many brands does Hershey own?
Hershey owns approximately 10 major brands across confectionery and salty snacks. The most significant are Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat (U.S. license), Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty, Sour Strips, and LesserEvil. Reese's is the largest brand by retail sales, generating over $2 billion annually.

Who owns Hershey?
The Hershey Company is publicly traded, but the Milton Hershey School Trust holds approximately 80% of voting power through Class B common stock, which carries 10 votes per share versus one vote per share for Class A stock. The trust funds the Milton Hershey School, a private school for children from low-income families. The Hershey Trust Company acts as trustee and exercises the trust's voting rights, giving it effective control of the company.

What is Hershey's revenue?
Hershey reported $11.7 billion in consolidated net sales for FY2025, a 4.4% increase from FY2024. For the first half of FY2026, net sales were $5.9 billion, up 8.7% from the same period in FY2025. The company projects full-year 2026 net sales growth of 4.5% to 5%, with the LesserEvil acquisition contributing approximately 150 basis points.

Has Hershey made major acquisitions recently?
Yes. In November 2025, Hershey acquired LesserEvil, LLC, a producer of organic popcorn and puffed snacks, for an undisclosed sum. In November 2024, the company acquired the Sour Strips brand from Actual Candy, LLC. In May 2023, Hershey acquired manufacturing assets from Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing to strengthen its SkinnyPop supply chain. The company's largest acquisition was Amplify Snack Brands (SkinnyPop) in 2014 for approximately $1.6 billion.