Oct 12, 2026 · 21 min

Hershey turns Halloween into a four-month growth engine

How Halloween Became a Nearly Billion-Dollar Business for Hershey (ft. Hershey’s CGO)

The conversation shows how Hershey is balancing seasonal indulgence, changing consumer habits, new snack categories, and a deeper brand history.

3 key takeaways

1Hershey treats Halloween as a four-month commercial season, with Reese’s anchoring early demand and cultural visibility.
2Higher cocoa costs are pushing Hershey to offer varied price points while consumers weigh affordability against emotional indulgence.
3The company is broadening beyond candy through salty snacks, bold product innovation, and experiences tied to its founder’s legacy.

Don't miss

Stacey Taffet previews how Hershey will use a film about Milton and Catherine Hershey, retro packaging, and original caramels to deepen the brand story.

The brief

Stacey Taffet, Hershey’s chief growth and marketing officer, describes Halloween as a nearly four-month business season that begins after summer and builds around Reese’s.

The season’s growth raises a pricing problem: higher cocoa costs meet consumers with different budgets, so Hershey is using multiple formats and price points.

GLP-1 medications have not erased demand for confectionery, Taffet argues; consumers are becoming more selective, while gum and mints serve different needs.

Hershey is also pursuing growth beyond candy through Pirate’s Booty, SkinnyPop, LesserEvil, and other snacks aimed at broadening household penetration.

The standout turn is the planned film about Milton and Catherine Hershey, which the company will support with retro packaging, caramels, and real-world brand experiences.

Taken together, the strategy links Halloween, innovation, salty snacks, Hersheypark, and founder mythology into a broader push from candy maker to snacking brand.

What was said on this episode

16 statements · 13 positive · 3 neutral

Stacey Taffeton HalloweenNeutral2:04
Halloween functions as a four-month commercial season.
“Halloween is actually four months of the year when you think about the retail aspect and the commercial aspect of Halloween.”
Listen at 2:04
Stacey Taffeton Reese'sPositive2:59
Reese’s is the leading Halloween candy brand.
“the Reese's brand as an example, which is the king of Halloween. It's the number one brand.”
Listen at 2:59
Stacey Taffeton Hershey Halloween businessPositive5:29
Halloween generates nearly $1 billion for Hershey.
“Halloween is the biggest. It's nearly a billion dollars. for the company.”
Listen at 5:29
Stacey Taffeton Hershey seasonal candy offeringsNeutral6:39
Hershey introduced $5 candy bags targeting lower absolute price points.
“A lot of them are at that more opening price point, think $5 bag of candy for people that are looking for something at a lower absolute price point.”
Listen at 6:39
Stacey Taffeton Consumer candy purchasing criteriaNeutral7:17
Lower-income households prioritize absolute price; higher-income households prioritize unit value.
“lower-income households actually look more at absolute price point, and then medium and higher-income households look more at sort of value, price per piece, price per weight.”
Listen at 7:17
Stacey Taffeton ConfectioneryPositive7:56
Confectionery is among the most resilient food categories amid GLP-1 use.
“We have seen that confection is actually one of the most resilient categories.”
Listen at 7:56
Stacey Taffeton GLP-1 receptor agonistPositive8:11
GLP-1 users can control confectionery portions more effectively.
“the control that people on GLP-1 drugs have. to only have one piece when they want it is a big deal.”
Listen at 8:11
Stacey Taffeton IcebreakersPositive9:59
Icebreakers is gaining market share.
“Icebreakers is growing, is gaining share in the market. Doing very well.”
Listen at 9:59
Stacey Taffeton Hershey permissible salty-snack brandsPositive10:47
Hershey’s permissible salty-snack brands are growing faster than total salty snacks.
“those are salty snacks. And you're right, we have Dots, Pirates Booty, Skinny Pop, Lesser Evil. all brands that play more in the permissible snacking space and therefore are growing faster than Total Salty's snacking”
Listen at 10:47
Stacey Taffeton Hershey salty-snack brandsPositive12:07
Hershey’s salty-snack brands have household penetration below 20%.
“Brands are all sub 20. So how much you love dots, 80% of households have not even tried it yet.”
Listen at 12:07
Stacey Taffeton Product innovationPositive14:20
Product innovation keeps light buyers active in snack categories.
“innovation helps keep them active in the category.”
Listen at 14:20
Stacey Taffeton Hershey product innovationPositive14:39
Hershey expects new products to drive incremental category growth.
“we always have a pipeline of new items that we think are going to drive incrementality and growth in the categories.”
Listen at 14:39
Stacey Taffeton Multi-texture and multi-sensory food productsPositive15:38
Multi-texture and multi-sensory foods can drive growth.
“that is something that we see as a growth driver.”
Listen at 15:38
Stacey Taffeton Milton Hershey SchoolPositive16:14
Milton Hershey School provides free residence and education to children.
“the Milton Hershey School, which is an incredible place where children from everywhere can come at no cost and live in Hershey and have a fantastic education.”
Listen at 16:14
Stacey Taffeton Hershey bar purchasesPositive17:47
Hershey bar purchases support student education for people unable to afford it.
“Every time you buy a Hershey bar, actually. You're giving money back to students and the education for people that can't afford it.”
Listen at 17:47
Stacey Taffeton Real-life brand experiencesPositive19:55
As digital media grows, consumers place greater value on real-life brand experiences.
“the more real life experiences count and, and, you know, the value that, that people place on them goes up.”
Listen at 19:55

Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.