HERSHEY’S Visitors Center
in Smiths Falls, Ontario
History
In 1962, after years of studying the Canadian confectionery market, The Hershey Company constructed its first plant outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania — in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Smiths Falls was selected because of the plentiful supply of milk and water. Smiths Falls was chosen also because of its adequate labour source, its location on direct rail lines and suitable transportation facilities
This location was also ideally situated between the two main marketing areas of Toronto and Montreal. Apparently, the police chief of the times stood out on the town's main street and stopped the first car with foreign license plates and proceeded to try to sell the town of Smiths Falls to its occupants. Luckily for Smiths Falls, the occupants of the car happened to be The Hershey Company delegates scouting the area for possible sites for a new plant.
The Smiths Falls plant was the first facility within The Hershey Company to incorporate a Visitors Gallery inside the facility. The plant’s official opening was in June of 1963 and the Visitor's Gallery received 960 visitors on opening day.
The Smiths Falls facility began production in 1963 with 200,000 square feet of working space capable of producing 200,000 bars a day. The products introduced at the facility were 5¢ and 10¢ chocolate bars, instant chocolate, cocoa, chocolate chips, and chocolate syrup.
In 1965, a PEANUT BUTTER CUPS® candies line was added and this quickly became one of the company’s best selling bars.
By the following year, 1966, the Smiths Falls Plant employed 105 people, and, with the introduction of HERSHEY-ETS® candy coated milk chocolates, chocolate covered peanuts and chocolate covered raisins it had 22 different products.
By the mid 70’s, the cost of a chocolate bar had risen to 25¢ and sales for the Smiths Falls Plant had reached approximately $20,000,000 per year.
1980 saw the introduction of BROWN COW® chocolate syrup, Canada's best selling chocolate syrup, followed quickly in 1982 by REESE'S PIECES® candies.
In 1983 after years of research, the formula for chocolate manufactured in Canada was changed to a creamier, smoother, lighter coloured and milder flavoured product more suitable to Canadian taste.
In 1987 Hershey Canada purchased the confectionery division of Nabisco Brand Canada bringing dramatic change to the Smiths Falls Plant. This resulted in the relocation of the PLANTERS®* peanut operation from Toronto to Smiths Falls. The acquisition also added the following brands to their product lines: LOWNEY®, LIFE SAVERS®*, PLANTERS®*, MOIRS®. (LIFE SAVERS and PLANTERS businesses have since been sold.)
The second significant change was the relocation of the LOWNEY operation from Sherbrooke, Quebec in 1989 to the HERSHEY plant in Smiths Falls and the MOIRS plant in Dartmouth. A multitude of new products were introduced at Smiths Falls including OH HENRY!® candy bars, CHIPITS® chocolate chips, GLOSETTE® chocolate covered raisins and GLOSETTE chocolate covered peanuts, EAT-MORE® candy bars and CHERRY BLOSSOM® candy bars. With these additions, the chocolate facility was producing approximately 54 million pounds of chocolate per year.
In 1995 the PLANTERS peanut operation went solo and relocated to Toronto.
In 1996 HERSHEY purchased Leaf Confectionery. This resulted in the relocation of their MR. FREEZE® freezer snacks production line to Smiths Falls in 1998.
In February 1998, Garett Sanderson (a resident of Ottawa) became the HERSHEY CHOCOLATE SHOPPE® visitor's centre’s three millionth visitor. The occasion was marked with gifts, including a trip to Hershey, Pa., for 4 people.
The Smiths Falls facility employs an average of 600 personnel and produces 100,000+ pounds of product, per year. In the Spring of 2001, the HERSHEY CHOCOLATE SHOPPE store was doubled in size to accommodate our 300,000+ visitors, annually.
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