Chocolate lovers are only just realizing how Hershey’s Kisses got their name

Hershey’s Kisses are a popular staple for chocolate lovers across the US.

The sweet treat has been in production for more than a century, having been first manufactured in 1907 at the company’s factory in Derry, Pennsylvania.

And the bite-sized pieces have continued to grow in popularity to become ‘one of the leading chocolate products in the world.’

But many are only just realizing how the Kisses got their name – and the truth might surprise you.

The sweet treat has been in production for more than a century having been first manufactured in 1907 at the company’s factory in Derry, Pennsylvania

Hershey’s Kisses are instantly recognizable as being the flat-bottomed tear drops wrapped in foil.

And they always have a strip of parchment paper – called a ‘plume’ – completing the aesthetic.

As with many success stories, there are multiple versions of how the distinctive confectionery got its iconic name.

But the one theory that seems to be most widely accepted is that it is all to do with the sound and motion of the machines that make the sweet treat.

Not only does the dispenser appear to ‘kiss’ the convey belt as it deposits the chocolate but also makes a similar ‘kissing’ sound during production.

It is estimated that the company produces 70 million Kisses every single day – and the product itself has a varied history.

Kisses were in production from 1907 to 1942 and then not produced until 1947 due to rationing of aluminum during World War II. 

During that nearly six-year period, Hershey retooled its Kisses production equipment in order to produce chocolate D-Rations for the US Military.

The one theory that seems to be most widely accepted is that it is all to do with the sound and motion of the machines that make the sweet treat

It is estimated that the company produces 70 million Kisses every single day – and the product itself has a varied history

Milton Hershey registered a trademark for the name Hershey’s Kisses in 1921.

They were re-introduced in 1947 and the Kisses brand has added a whole host of other flavors to the product line since. 

In 2007, to commemorate the 100th-year anniversary of their production, Hershey’s unveiled its biggest ever Kiss.

It weighed 30,540 pounds which is the equivalent of more than three million standard-sized Kisses chocolates.