Hershey's Vegan Reese's To Be The First Nationally-Sold Vegan Chocolate
Plant-based, vegetarian, or vegan, whichever way you roll, Hershey's just delivered some critical news for dairy-free chocolate lovers.
It's no surprise that the vegan chocolate industry is a lucrative field of the plant-based market. In fact, abillion reports that vegan chocolate makes up 40% of the global vegan confection market. The vegan chocolate industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of nearly 15% by the end of 2028, valued at an estimated $1.41 billion, according to a 2021 report by Grand View Research.
A growing number of major chocolate brands have been taking notice. Last year, Swiss chocolatier Lindt released plant-based chocolate bars made with oat milk. And in some European countries, the food company Nestle also launched a vegan version of KitKat, called KitKat V, made with rice milk.
Closer to home, the major chocolate manufacturer Hershey's has been known to experiment with vegan chocolate in the past. Back in 2021, Hershey's debuted Oat Made chocolate bars, plant-based chocolate confections made with oat milk that were sold limitedly at selected retailers throughout the country. Now, the company is releasing new vegan chocolate confections nationwide.
You'll find oats and almonds in the new plant-based Hershey's chocolates
Vegan chocolate lovers, rejoice! Plant-based Reese's butter peanut cups are soon coming to a grocery store near you. Hershey's will roll out two new products nationwide: Reese's plant-based peanut butter cups made with oats and a plant-based Hershey's chocolate bar with almonds and sea salt, according to a March 7 press release. The vegan peanut butter cups will launch later this month, while the vegan chocolate bar will be available for purchase in April.
The two chocolate confections are vegan alternatives to current Hershey's and Reese's products. The chocolates will be slightly more expensive, AP News reports, with the Oat Reese's cups about $1 more expensive than the regular peanut butter cups.
Regardless, people are buzzing about the new chocolate line-ups on social media. Many on Twitter couldn't help but share their excitement. "@reeses coming out with a vegan cup is WHERE ITS AT! So pumped!!," posted one Twitter user. On the subreddit r/vegan, the sentiment was less receptive, with many pointing out they are smaller, vegan-based companies that people can buy from. Still, a few expressed enthusiasm for the new vegan chocolates. "omg i'm about to buy 20. i've been deprived of these for years," one user shared.