I was in middle school when I was presented with the opportunity to do my first chocolate fundraiser. Each student in every homeroom class in my grade received boxes of about 50 bars of World's Finest Chocolate, a brand known for collaborating with schools to raise money for various activities. Our task would be to sell assorted bars of chocolate for $1 each, which would consist of us going door to door after school, with no prior marketing training by the way. I guess a bunch of 7th graders, with caramel and cripsy rice or almond milk chocolate bars was expected to be enough to get our bars all sold by the deadline. For me, there was one problem, -I'd had a chocolate obsession from a very young age. Trusting a 12 year old girl with enough chocolate to feed her cravings for months at a time was not a good idea. I was enthusiastic at first, knocking on doors in neighborhoods with "nicer" homes, because I figured the richer the person was, the more likely they'd be to buy more than one bar at a time. But eventually I'd succumb to my desires to try every type of bar I offered. After all, I should know the quality of the goods I'm selling right? One bar turned to two. Two quickly turned into 5. Before I knew it, I'd eaten more bars than I sold, and couldn't cover the costs with the little allowance I'd earned from doing chores. Needless to say, I did not have the $50 expected by the time the fundraiser ended, nor could my mother afford to cover the cost of the chocolate I'd eaten. For this reason, at the end of the school year my entire grade it seemed with the exception of myself and maybe 3 others, missed out on a day visit to Hershey Park. I was devastated to say the least and although I hardly thought about it since, from time to time I looked back on that time and wondered how much fun my classmates had without me while I spent the day in detention. 20 years later, a business trip to a nearby town in Pennsylvania affored me the proximity to finally visit the attractions I missed out on as a young girl, however my background as a craft chocolate maker would allow me to view the offerings at Hershey in an entirely new light. Due to time constraints and the fact that I was in town alone, the actual amusement park although tempting, did not make the agenda. Instead I spent the day in Hershey Gardens and in The Hershey Story Museum. I was attempting to avoid the commercialized aspects of the experience as much as possible and really try to understand Hershey as a brand. As a craft chocolate maker I approach chocolate in an intentional way, paying much attention to details such as where and how the cacao I work with is grown and sourced before eventually churning the precious resource into bars. Large brands like Hershey for instance, are so large that pinpointing where the cacao used in their chocolates originates is nearly impossible. Often to cut-costs, the cheaper it is for brands to obtain the better, and the where and how goes out the window. It is no surprise then that big chocolate brands are more likely to obtain cacao from less transparent and unsustainable means. Nonetheless, I thought it to visit this city centered around chocolate, a good enjoyed the world over. Upon entering the Hershey Story Museum, I thought a Tasting would be a great way to get right to the chocolate. I was delighted to see Hershey offering the option to taste chocolate from different countries such as Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Ghana. The less the percentage of actual cacao however in the chocolate drinks, the sweeter the drinks became. The first three flavors presented were all distinct and pleasant, my favorite being Mexico (Whuich is not surprising as this is where cacao originated). I did not get the tasting notes presented on the card, but I think it may have been due to the other additives in the drinks. At 40% cacao such as the Ghana, I was only able to take a few sips before I could go no further. Java and Hershey's Milk Chocolate which contained only 33% cacao/cocoa were nearly impossible to drink, it was as if I was drinking a pure sugary chocolate syrup. I should have stopped the tasting at Mexico. From there I ventured upstairs to where the actual Hershey Story was presented across the walls. The musuem contained some artifacts from the early 1900s, old machines used to make chocolates and even merchandise to show how the brand evolved over time. Overall, I found the story of Milton Hershey to be a Great American success. One thing craft chocolate makers can certainly take away from this brand is being flexible. Not only did Hershey produce chocolate items such as kisses and chocolate bars, they went on to produce their own sugar to be used in their products and even used byproducts from the chocolate making process such as cocoa butter to make soaps and other personal care products. In addition this company created many jobs for the area and eventually grew to include the amusement park and other nearby attractions. Next I visited the Chocolate Lab where a kind woman led a 45 minute class through of the process of making chocolate from bean to bar. The host was friendly and had been working with chocolate for 20 years so she knew her "stuff", although she passed out cacao nibs and when asked by me where the cocoa was sourced, could not answer. The nibs also tasted stale and awful, but I digress. I do think Hershey could do much better when it comes to sourcing and educating consumers. Craft chocolate making is tedious and time-consuming and many believe the return is not worth the effort and investment. Although I am a fairly new craft chocolate maker, I disagree. Once you taste craft chocolate made in small batches it's hard go back to enjoying mass produced chocolates. Besides, many "chocolate" bars on the market including Hershey's, contain hardly any cacao at all and are made up mostly of sugar, milk and preservatives. I ended my day in Hershey Gardens which I thoroughly enjoyed. There were plenty of roses, places to sit for a moment and reflect and a Butterfly Atrium which even had a live cacao tree. This was a pleasant surprise as cacao is typically grown in much warmer climates and places near the equator. I'd love to revisit Hershey, PA with my children one day for the rides and scenery. The chocolate, not so much. Although it's easy to think the 7th grade version of me didn't miss out after all, I do see how the experience would be valuable to younger generations.
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