Dive Brief:
- The Hershey Company on Monday announced the U.S. launch of its new Lancaster brand, which will feature caramel soft cremes scheduled to hit stores in January 2014.
- The launch marks the first new U.S. brand for Hershey in 30 years that is not an extension or acquisition.
- The name comes from Hershey founder Milton Hershey's original candy company, The Lancaster Caramel Company, which produced similar caramels over 120 years ago.
Dive Insight:
Lancaster represents two milestones for Hershey. The brand launched in May in China, marking the first time that Hershey attempted such a launch outside of the U.S. Now, it's the company's first non-extension (or acquisition) launch in the U.S.
Hershey has been investing quite a bit in overseas markets, and you can see one more example of that its recent $250 million Maylasia plant announcement.