Reese's Pieces
{{Short description|Peanut butter candy}}
{{Infobox product
| title = Reese's Pieces
| image = Image:Reese's Pieces Bag.png
File:Reese's Pieces (3394360433).jpg
| alt = Reese's Pieces 4oz. Box packaged in Reese's brand orange
| caption = Reese's Pieces consists of bite-sized pieces of candy filled with a peanut butter center in a crunchy shell.
| type = Confectionery
| inventor = The Hershey Company
| inception = {{start date and age|1978|9}}
| manufacturer = The Hershey Company
| current supplier = The Hershey Company
| models = Standard candy, Mini candies, baking chips
| website = {{url|https://www.hersheyland.com/products/reeses-pieces-peanut-butter-candy-9-9-oz-bag.html|hersheyland.com/reeses-pieces/}}
| notes =
}}
Reese's Pieces are a peanut butter candy manufactured by The Hershey Company; they are oblate spheroid in shape and covered in candy shells that are colored yellow, orange, or brown. They can be purchased in plastic packets, cardboard boxes, or cup-shaped travel containers. The Reese company was founded by H.B. Reese. The H.B. Reese Candy Company was merged with The Hershey Company in 1963.
Overview
The candy was introduced to the US market first in September 1978.{{cite news |url=http://www.candyindustry.com/Articles/Special_Reports/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000401281 |title=Celebrate Pennsylvania! |date=2008-08-15 |publisher=Candy Industry}}{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |pages=228}} Shortly after, Reese's Pieces were introduced to the Canada market in 1980.{{cite news |title=Outer space gives Hershey a nice little plug |publisher=The Montreal Gazette |date=1982-08-13}}
The then relatively new product became very popular with the 1982 release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, in which the candy is featured.{{Cite news| author = David van Biema | title = Life is Sweet for Jack Dowd as Spielberg's Hit Film Has E.T. Lovers Picking up the (Reese's) Pieces | work = People | date = 1983-07-26}}
Reese's Pieces were introduced in the UK in 1996,{{cite book |last1=Berry |first1=Steve |last2=Norman |first2=Phil |title=A History of Sweets in 50 Wrappers |date=2014 |publisher=The Friday Project |location=London |isbn=9780007575480 |page=75}} but are produced in the US.{{cite web|url=https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/Reeses-Pieces-Peanut-Butter/360403011?from=search&tags=%7C105651¶m=reeses&parentContainer=SEARCHreeses_SHELFVIEW|title=Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter at Morrisons|website=Morrisons|access-date=2017-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107031533/https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/Reeses-Pieces-Peanut-Butter/360403011?from=search&tags=%7C105651¶m=reeses&parentContainer=SEARCHreeses_SHELFVIEW|archive-date=2017-11-07|url-status=live}}
Reese's Pieces are a product extension of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups line; they were designed to capitalize on the success of the chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, though unlike the cups, they have no chocolate.{{cite web|url=http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=product&id=5D651DBE-E108-11DF-A102-FEFD45A4D471|title=Lose weight & improve your health with a real food diet - Fooducate|website=www.fooducate.com|access-date=2016-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806102501/http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=product&id=5D651DBE-E108-11DF-A102-FEFD45A4D471|archive-date=2016-08-06|url-status=live}}
Variations
Reese's Pieces has been included in many Reese's and Hershey's products since its introduction. Below is a list of available products that contain Reese's Pieces, from the candy pieces being stuffed inside of existing chocolate bar variations to bags of baking chip mixes.{{Cn|date=September 2021}}
| class=wikitable style="width="100%"
|+ Products containing Reese's Pieces ! Product!!Description!!Sizes!! style=width:12em |Ingredients!!Nutrition value!!Year introduced |
| style="vertical-align: top;"
| style="white-space: nowrap;"| Reese's Pieces | A peanut butter candy in bite-size pieces containing Reese's peanut butter wrapped in a crunchy shell |{{plainlist|
}} | Sugar, partially defatted peanuts, hydrogenated vegetable oil palm kernel oil, soybean oil, corn syrup Solids, dextrose Contains 2% Less of: corn syrup, palm kernel oil, salt, confectioner's glaze, modified corn starch, lecithin soy, artificial colorants yellow 6 lake, yellow 5 lake, red 40 lake, blue 1 lake, vanillin, artificial flavor, carnauba wax, milk{{cite web |title=Reese's Peanut Butter Pieces Candy|url=https://www.innit.com/nutrition/reeses-peanut-butter-pieces-candy/p/00034000996612 |website=Innit |access-date=10 November 2020}} |{{nutritionalvalue | name = Reese's Pieces | image = | kJ = 836.8 | protein = 4 g | fat = 9 g | satfat = 8 g | transfat = 0 g | monofat = | polyfat = | omega3fat = | omega6fat = | carbs = 25 g | starch = | sugars = 21 g | lactose = | fibre = 0 g | sodium_mg = 45 | potassium_mg = | vitA_ug = 0 | vitC_mg = 0 | thiamin_mg = | riboflavin_mg = | niacin_mg = | pantothenic_mg = | folate_ug = | vitD_ug = | vitE_mg = | vitK_ug = | iron_mg = 4 | magnesium_mg = | phosphorus_mg = | zinc_mg = | calcium_mg = 0 | vitB6_mg = | vitB12_ug = | water = | alcohol = | caffeine = | source = [https://smartlabel.hersheys.com/00034000114801-0010] | note = Amounts converted and rounded to be relative to 38 g serving. }} | style="white-space: nowrap;"| September |
| style="vertical-align: top;"
| Reese's Pieces Peanut | The original Reese's Pieces candies with the inclusion of peanuts. |{{plainlist|
}} | Sugar, Peanuts, Partially Defatted Peanuts, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel And Soybean Oil), Corn Syrup Contains 2% Or Less Of: Dextrose, Artificial Color (Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake), Palm Kernel Oil, Confectioner's Glaze, Cornstarch, Modified Cornstarch, Salt, Lecithin (Soy), Carnauba Wax, Vanillin (Artificial Flavor), Milk. |{{nutritionalvalue | name = Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter with Peanut | image = | kJ = 120 | fat = 28 g | satfat = 15 g | transfat = 0.0 g | cholesterol = 0.0 mg | sodium_mg = 154 | carbs = 56 g | sugars = 46 g | protein = 13 g | vitA_ug = 0 | vitC_mg = 0 | calcium_mg = 0 | iron_mg = 1.8 | source = [https://www.nutritionix.com/i/reeses/reeses-pieces-peanuts/56dba4c0e93ea7e63d8111e0] }} |
| style="vertical-align: top;"
| Reese's Mini Pieces Baking Chips | Mini Reese's Pieces peanut butter candy for baking |{{plainlist|
}} | Sugar, Partially Defatted Peanuts, Hydrogenated, Vegetable Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose Contains 2% or Less of: Palm Kernel Oil, Corn Syrup, Artificial Color, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Cornstarch, Salt, Confectioner's Glaze, Lecithin, Modified Cornstarch, Carnauba Wax, Vanillin (ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), Milk {{cite web |title=REESE'S PIECES - Minis Peanut Butter Candies - SmartLabel™ |url=https://smartlabel.hersheys.com/00034000141289-0012#ingredients |website=smartlabel.hersheys.com |access-date=9 November 2020 |language=en}} |{{nutritionalvalue | name = Reese's Pieces Minis Peanut Butter Candies | image = | kJ = 292.88 | protein = 2 g | fat = 3.5 g | satfat = 3 g | transfat = 0 g | monofat = | polyfat = | omega3fat = | omega6fat = | carbs = 10 g | starch = | sugars = 8 g | lactose = | fibre = 0 g | sodium_mg = 15 | potassium_mg = 40 | vitA_ug = 0 | vitC_mg = | thiamin_mg = | riboflavin_mg = | niacin_mg = | pantothenic_mg = | folate_ug = | vitD_ug = 0 | vitE_mg = | vitK_ug = | iron_mg = 0.3 | magnesium_mg = | phosphorus_mg = | zinc_mg = | calcium_mg = 10 | vitB6_mg = | vitB12_ug = | water = | alcohol = | caffeine = | source = [https://smartlabel.hersheys.com/00034000141289-0012] | note = Amounts converted and rounded to be relative to 15 g serving. }} |
| style="vertical-align: top;"
| Reese's Baking Cups and Reese's Pieces Candy | A mixture of mini Reese's Pieces peanut butter candies and mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups for baking |{{plainlist|
}} | Milk Chocolate, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, Lecithin, PGPR, Sugar, Partially Defatted Peanuts, Peanuts, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Oil, Soybean Oil, Dextrose, Corn Syrup Solids Contains 2% or Less of: Cocoa Butter, Palm Kernel Oil, Salt, Corn Syrup, Confectioner's Glaze, Lecithin, Modified Cornstarch, Artificial Color, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, PGPR, Vanillin (ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), Carnauba Wax, TBHQ (Preservative), Citric Acid (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS){{cite web |title=REESE'S - Baking Cups and REESE'S PIECES Candy - SmartLabel™ |url=https://smartlabel.hersheys.com/00034000445530-0010#ingredients |website=Smart Label |access-date=9 November 2020 |language=en}} |{{nutritionalvalue | name = Reese's Baking Cups and Reese's Pieces Candy | image = | kJ = 58.5289 | protein = 1 g | fat = 4 g | satfat = 2.5 g | transfat = 0 g | monofat = | polyfat = | omega3fat = | omega6fat = | carbs = 9 g | starch = | sugars = 8 g | lactose = | fibre = 0 g | sodium_mg = 25 | potassium_mg = 45 | vitA_ug = 0 | vitC_mg = | thiamin_mg = | riboflavin_mg = | niacin_mg = | pantothenic_mg = | folate_ug = | vitD_ug = 0 | vitE_mg = | vitK_ug = | iron_mg = 0.4 | magnesium_mg = | phosphorus_mg = | zinc_mg = | calcium_mg = 10 | vitB6_mg = | vitB12_ug = | water = | alcohol = | caffeine = | source = [https://smartlabel.hersheys.com/00034000445530-0010] | note = Amounts converted and rounded to be relative to 15 g serving. }} |
Production
In the 1970s, the candies were produced by The Hershey Company using panning machines that had been used to make Hershey-ets, a chocolate-filled candy that had been discontinued. The candy was first called "PBs" and was later rechristened as Reese's Pieces.{{Cite web|url=https://hersheyarchives.org/encyclopedia/reeses-pieces-e-ts-favorite-candy/|title=Reese's Pieces: E.T.'s Favorite Candy – Hershey Community Archives}} Designers wanted a peanut-flavored candy but had problems with the filling. Original plans called for filling the candy shells with peanut butter, but the oil leaked out into the shell, leaving it soft, rather than crunchy.{{Cn|date=September 2021}}
The developer of the project turned the problem over to a team of outside scientists, who created a peanut-flavored penuche filling.{{cite book |title=The emperors of chocolate: inside the secret world of Hershey and Mars |last=Brenner |first=Joel Glenn |publisher=Broadway Books |date=2000 |pages=274}} More experimentation was needed to determine the correct thickness of the shell. Finally, the colors of the candy coating were designed to coordinate with the color of the Reese's package. The color distribution goal is 50% orange, 25% brown, and 25% yellow.{{cite web |last1=Livermore |first1=Sienna |title=7 Things You Need To Know Before Eating Reese's Pieces |url=https://www.delish.com/food/a49797/things-you-didnt-know-about-reeses-pieces/ |website=delish.com |date=24 October 2016 |publisher=Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. |access-date=21 August 2020}}
''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''
In 1982, the Mars candy bar company rejected a product placement offer for the inclusion of its key product M&M's in the Steven Spielberg film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Hershey accepted an offer for use of Reese's Pieces in the movie, and with the film's blockbuster success its product sales dramatically increased, perhaps as much as 300%.[http://www.snopes.com/business/market/mandms.asp Snopes: Taking it E.T.]
Business by its very nature is cut-throat; competitors rarely aid one another because one company's success almost invariably comes at the expense of the other's vitality. When such leg-ups occur, they are often inadvertent — the result of one firm's having failed to take advantage of an opportunity that its competitor later cleaned up on. Such was the case when Mars, Inc. passed on the chance for its flagship product, M&Ms, to be the candy used in 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Its turn-down cleared the way for Hershey Foods Corporation to make a remarkable splash for its Reese's Pieces.
Product line expansion
In 2010, The Hershey Company expanded the Pieces line to include York Peppermint Pattie Pieces, Hershey's Special Dark Pieces, and Almond Joy Pieces.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/media/17adco.html |title=Candy Makers Cut the Calories, by Cutting the Size |date=2010-02-16 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2017-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812025408/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/media/17adco.html |archive-date=2016-08-12 |url-status=live }} Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds Pieces became the fourth expansion of this line in 2012.{{cite web |title=Candy Tease November 2011 |date=2010-08-11 |publisher=Candy Blog |url=http://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/candy_tease_november_2011 |access-date=2012-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525160053/http://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/candy_tease_november_2011 |archive-date=2012-05-25 |url-status=live }}
Partnership
Chicago Sky player Angel Reese became an official brand ambassador for Reese's Pieces, after fans' enthusiasm for the idea.{{Cite web |last=Clinkscales |first=Jason |date=2024-08-21 |title=Angel Reese Pieces Together Namesake Candy Deal With Hershey |url=https://www.sportico.com/personalities/athletes/2024/angel-reese-reeses-pieces-sponsorship-1234794235/ |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Sportico.com |language=en-US}} Angel Reese's fans are known as Reese's Pieces.{{Cite web |last=Stumbaugh |first=Julia |title=WNBA's Angel Reese to Have 'Reese's Pieces' Collection After Sponsorship Contract |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10132636-wnbas-angel-reese-to-have-reeses-pieces-collection-after-sponsorship-contract |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=bleacherreport.com |language=en}} The most notable creations were the customized basketball jersey with Reese's Pieces colors and her Chicago Sky number, and Angel Reese appearing on the Reese's Puffs cereal box.{{Cite news |date=December 2, 2024 |title=REESE’S PUFFS Cereal and All-Star Angel Reese Expand Partnership with KidSuper Collab |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241202472560/en/REESE%E2%80%99S-PUFFS-Cereal-and-All-Star-Angel-Reese-Expand-Partnership-with-KidSuper-Collab}} Senior brand manager Melissa Blette stated Reese was chosen for her personality and excited fanbase, in addition to her name.{{Cite web |last=Meyers |first=ByAlyssa |title=Why Reese’s partnered with basketball star Angel Reese—beyond the obvious reason |url=https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2024/08/28/reeses-angel-reese-partnership-basketball-wnba |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Marketing Brew |language=en-us}} Blette reported that Reese's sales exceeded expectations.{{Cite web |last=The Hershey Company |first= |title=You Asked, We Delivered: Reese's and All-Star Angel Reese Team Up for a Fan-Requested Merch Collection |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/you-asked-we-delivered-reeses-and-all-star-angel-reese-team-up-for-a-fan-requested-merch-collection-302227022.html |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}}
See also
- Galaxy Minstrels
- M&M's
- Smarties—chocolate candies that are not sold in the U.S.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111014150309/http://www.hersheys.com/reeses/products.aspx?ICID=RES1020#/REESE%27S-PIECES-Candy Official product page]
{{Hershey|state=autocollapse}}
{{Portal bar|Food}}
Category:Products introduced in 1978
Category:Peanut butter confectionery