'Not edible': Reese's grandson accuses Hershey of ruining iconic peanut butter cup

The grandson of the man who invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is accusing The Hershey Co. of ruining the iconic candy by changing the recipe to include cheaper ingredients. 

In a letter to Hershey’s corporate brand manager, 70-year-old Brad Reese said the candy’s downfall started when Hershey replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut crème. He shared the letter this week on his LinkedIn profile. 

What did Brad Reese say?

What they're saying:

"How does The Hershey Co. continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese’s trust in the first place?" Reese wrote in the letter.

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Reese said he recently threw out a bag of Reese's Mini Hearts, a special Valentine’s Day release, because "it was not edible."

"You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese’s product every day," Reese said in an interview with The Associated Press. This is very devastating for me."

Reese said people often tell him that Reese's products don't taste the same as they used to. He said Pennsylvania-based Hershey should keep in mind a famous quote from its founder, Milton Hershey: "Give them quality, that's the best advertising."

"I absolutely believe in innovation, but my preference is innovation with quality," Reese said.

Who is Brad Reese?

The backstory:

Brad Reese is the grandson of H.B. Reese, who spent two years at Hershey before forming his own candy company in 1919. H.B. Nine years later, Reese invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. His six sons later sold the company to Hershey in 1963.

What does Hershey say?

The other side:

Hershey acknowledged some recipe changes, but also countered that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are still made the same way they’ve always been, with milk chocolate and peanut butter that the company makes itself from roasted peanuts and a few other ingredients, including sugar and salt. But some Reese’s ingredients vary, Hershey said.

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"As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter," Hershey said, according to the AP. 

In a conference call with investors last year, Hershey Chief Financial Officer Steven Voskuil said the company made some changes in its formulas, but he said the company has tried to maintain the "taste profile and the specialness of our iconic brands."

"I would say in all the changes that we’ve made thus far, there has been no consumer impact whatsoever. As you can imagine, even on the smallest brand in the portfolio, if we were to make a change, there’s extensive consumer testing," he said.