The Candy Man

If you can guess the name of this ‘sweet guy’, we’ve got a kiss for you!

He was a native of Pennsylvania. He started as an apprentice ice cream maker.

He suffered two major business failures but went on to become one of the world’s best known candy makers.

In 1883, he established the Lancaster Caramel Company but got bitten by the “chocolate bug” and sold his caramel business for $1 million in 1900. It took this candy-making pro three years to move his dream forward. In 1903, he was finally able to obtain the large supplies of fresh milk he needed to perfect and produce fine milk chocolate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_S._Hershey

Awash in milk, he began construction on what was to become the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing plant. It would be known as the birth-place of ‘chocolate kisses.’ Who is the candy man? It’s Milton S. Hershey, the founder of Hershey’s Chocolate. Today, more than 100 years after Milton made magic, his chocolate is still making its way into our mouths, hearts and minds. Chocolate has been proved to stimulate the release of endorphins, the brains’ ‘feel good’ chemical. And a substance in chocolate called phenylethylamine is believed to trigger feelings similar to ‘falling in love’.

We’re in love alright… with Chocolate.

And we’re not the only ones, Folks gobble up Hershey’s collectibles as passionately as they devour the company’s signature kisses and candy bars. Vintage tine, magazine ads, and even candy wrappers have found their way into the hands of private collectors and public museums.

This story is an excerpt, courtesy of Betcha didn’t know that! 101 Antiques and collectibles Trivia Tips that can make you rich, famous and hit of the party, Volume 1, by Leon Castner and Brian Kathenes (www.betchabooks.com)