Kit Kats aren't just for chocolate lovers any more. Depending on where you live, and who produces them, Kit Kats come in a wide variety of flavors, from strawberry to green tea to cherry blossom.
Now, the Hershey Company is making an even bigger bet on its piece of the Kit Kat market, hoping that its fans will be willing to break off even more of its milk-chocolate-coated, crispy bars.
Hershey, in a statement, said Kit Kat is poised to become its "next $1 billion global brand."
The investment will create 111 jobs, which is an increase of 25% at the factory, according to Food Business News.
Guests of honor wore hard hats in Kit Kat red to break snow-covered ground at the plant, located in the Humboldt Industrial Park. "When you make investments like this, you do so because you have confidence," said Todd Tillemans, Hershey's U.S. president, according to the Hazelton Standard-Speaker.
While Tillemans was referring to the Hazelton community, he also could have been referring to Kit Kat itself. Currently, the factory produces 240,000 Kit Kats per day. The new assembly line will give it capacity to make an additional 150,000 per day.
The new line is expected to be in operation by December. The new jobs are expected to pay between $17 and $20 an hour, with benefits.
It's hard to think of another mass-market chocolate bar that's so beloved by its fans, not just in the U.S. but around the world.
But what many fans don't know is that Kit Kat is not an American creation.
Kit Kit was invented by Rowntree's of York, a British company, which is now owned by Nestle. In the United States, Kit Kat is made by H.B. Reese, which is a division of Hershey.
Although Rowntree's trademarked the name in 1911, it didn't begin producing the four-finger bar until 1935.
Nestle produces Kit Kats in 16 countries, including Canada, Australia, Germany, Russia, Japan, and India. And that's a reason why Kit Kats taste different in other places than they do in the U.S.
Nestle has been aggressive in expanding the flavor lineup for Kit Kat, especially in Japan. It has offered the bars in more than 350 flavors.
This year, for Valentine's Day, it introduced ruby chocolate Kit Kats in Japan and South Korea, which quickly sold out and popped up on the resale market.
Hershey has been making Kit Kats for the U.S. market since 1970. It hasn't been as swift to adopt new Kit Kat flavors for the American market as Nestle has for places overseas.
However, last summer, Hershey marketed a strawberry Kit Kat bar, as part of a limited-edition "Flavors of America" series. There also has been a Red Velvet Kit Kat, and you can buy white and dark chocolate ones.
So, who knows? With the new manufacturing capacity in Pennsylvania, maybe there will be an American green tea Kit Kat. Or maybe the dark chocolate and green tea that's available in Japan.
