Hershey’s sloppy kisses ruin the Holidays
Why are Hershey's Kisses missing their tips?
If you haven’t seen the news by now, then it’s possible that you’ve been hidden under a mountain of cookie dough & batter for the past few weeks. I get it!
The holidays are a busy time full of baking, cooking and trying not to go crazy while being in close quarters with your loved ones…I mean while spending quality family time. 😏
That being said…I’ll fill you in real quick…
In the early part of December, a member of the Facebook group The Wedding Cookie Table Community posted about an issue that she noticed with her Hershey’s Kisses as she was putting the finishing touches on her peanut butter blossom cookies.
She said…”Decided to make my peanut butter blossoms. Started to peel open my Hershey Kisses, I noticed that not one in the entire bag had a pointed tip. No tips [hanging] out in the bag either.”
Yeah, you read that right…the tips were missing off her chocolate kisses…or as one Instagrammer calls them…she had “sloppy kisses.”
It sounds like the kisses had a 90’s throwback moment and went old school flat top like the Fresh Prince!
The Facebook Group member goes on to say that she called Hershey to report the problem, and that a representative gave a pretty hard to believe explanation.
You know that moment when your kid is caught red handed in the cookie jar and then they start to lie like a rug? Yeah, that’s exactly what it sounds like happened during this call.
According to the group member she was told that “Hershey has cut the tip off of all of these milk chocolate kisses because they only break off in transit.”
Ummmm…yeah, ok. Let’s try that again!
That explanation makes no sense! Like…zero! Here’s why…
For years, these kisses have been shipped in close to perfect condition all over the country and world…and you mean to tell us that just now the process & embarrassment of missing tips is too much for Hershey to bare? “So, let’s just cut the tips off and keep it moving?!?!”
Nah! Not buying it!
I’m of the same opinion of Forbes Sr. Contributor, Micheline Maynard who wrote, “Given that so many of us bakers across the country found the stumpy Kisses, it seems like Hershey has a manufacturing or a handling issue on its hands.”
She goes on to give some valid possible scenarios like new equipment malfunctions or changes in processes, and I’m inclined to agree.
It feels like this may have been a known issue on the manufacturing side, but due to the upcoming holidays at the time of production they decided to let it slide hoping that “no one would notice.”
Well…its obvious that they don’t know the OCD tendencies of bakers!
We like perfection & consistency…and Hershey…you messed with that this holiday season!
It’s all good though. We will just put you in time out for a few more weeks until Valentine’s Day when all will have to be forgiven so that we can fill our Love Day orders. 😂
Although, it sounds like we can be hopeful that the issue will be resolved in the near future.
According to thetakeout.com, a Hershey’s representative said “The company makes more than 70 million Kisses a day at its Pennsylvania factory, and ‘we want each of them looking as great as they taste.’ The iconic shape is part of that appeal, so ‘while there has always been some variability in that process, we are working to improve the appearance because it’s as important to us as it is to our fans.’ ”
What’s the solution? How to deal with Hershey's flat top kisses.
Until the Kiss Gate of 2018 is resolved, here are a few options for how to maintain sweet business and to reduce the aesthetic impact that these flat-topped, sloppy kisses may create.
Turn them upside down. If you’re using the kisses to create sweet treats that need kisses in the decorations, such as peanut butter blossoms, simply turn the cookies upside down. There problem solved.
Use a different brand. Hershey isn’t the only game in town! Brands like the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and Brach’s each have there style of chocolate chip that can serve as a reasonable replacement for the time being.
Melt the kisses and go for a different design. Although it may not be the look you’re going for, it is a great option for those who don’t want to by a new bag of chocolate. You can either melt down your topless kisses and drizzle on the chocolate or maybe get creative and go for a pool of chocolate on top similar to this Instagrammer. I mean the possibilities are endless.
The Takeaway: Our voices will be heard!
As consumers, sometimes it can feel like our voices aren’t being heard and that big companies couldn’t careless about our feedback.
However, this is one case that shows the power of what we can accomplish as a Sweet Community, if we all get on the same page.
Apparently this group of over 12K bakers banded together and reached out to the company one-by-one to make sure that The Hershey Company knew how unhappy they were with the missing tipped, sloppy kisses.
I know some folks on the outside world may feel like this isn’t a big deal, but for those of us who make money by creating delicious and beautiful looking sweets…this is a major deal!
So…shoutout to the Sugar Army that made the issue known to the company…and shoutout to Hershey for (eventually) owning up to the mistake.
Oh…and the sweetest part is that Hershey committed to participate in the Facebook group’s Spring Cookie event, which is pretty awesome! Smart move Hershey!
If Hershey's didn't learn anything else from Kiss Gate 2018, its don’t mess with a baker and her holiday orders!
Can I get an AMEN?!
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