With its line-up of sweet snacks, Hershey isn’t known as a purveyor of diet foods. However, the company’s newest products are made specifically for those on a fitness kick. As the use of weight-loss drugs — notably Ozempic and Wegovy — grows, the 130-year-old confectionery company is adjusting to this new era by pushing further into the wellness category with protein powders and energy drinks in popular candy flavours.
The Hershey Company has struck a deal with C4 Energy, a top-selling supplement brand that has gained popularity as people have looked to build muscle and work out more following the pandemic. Hershey’s namesake milk chocolate and Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate will soon be sold as protein powders and its Jolly Rancher candies will be turned into bubbly energy drinks. “What’s great about this partnership is that we get to tap into these brands that are more than 125 years old and are very nostalgic,” said Doss Cunningham, CEO of C4’s parent company Nutrabolt.
“On the flip side, this is a great opportunity for us to reach new audiences.” The partnership should help C4, the fourth-best-selling energy drink brand in the United States, differentiate itself in a US$21 billion market dominated by trendy up-and-comers, like Celsius and Ghost, but also older companies that remain popular, notably Red Bull and Monster. Energy drinks, which are most often bought by millennial and Gen Z customers, have “a lot of affinity” with Hershey’s p.