September 13, 1857 – October 13, 1945
At the age of 14, Milton Snavely Hershey began an apprenticeship with a confectioner in his native Pennsylvania. To say that this experience stuck with him would be the understatement of the century. Hershey founded a number of small confectionary companies – focusing primarily on caramels – and traveled the country learning new processes and ingredients. By the time he was in his mid 20s, he returned to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and founded the Lancaster Caramel Company.
In less than two decades, the Lancaster Caramel Company had 2 factories and over a thousand employees. It was a wild success. In 1900, Hershey sold the company and used the money to start another business…this time focusing on a new chocolate recipe he was tinkering with.
Celebrity Graveland 