Hershey Partners with Blommer Chocolate and Olam Cocoa to Build Health Center in Cote d’Ivoire

Hershey confirms achieving 50% certified and sustainable cocoa
sourcing goal
in 2015 and sets new goal of 75% for 2017

HERSHEY, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Access to basic health care is critical for the wellbeing of rural West
African cocoa communities. To help meet the need, The Hershey Company
(NYSE: HSY) partnered with cocoa suppliers Blommer Chocolate and Olam
Cocoa to fund and build a community health center in Cote d’Ivoire in
the town of Teapleau on the Western side of the country. Cote d’Ivoire
is one of the largest cocoa-producing countries in the world.

The recently opened health center is part of the Hershey Learn to Grow
training and cocoa sustainability program that seeks to improve the
lives of cocoa farmers and communities in West Africa. The new health
center now provides basic health services, such as maternity facilities;
lab testing for AIDS and Malaria; and vaccinations for polio, tetanus
and measles to 1,700 households and 13,000 people across three area
communities. Without the center, families in this cocoa farming
community would have to either forego treatment or travel long distances
for care.

“Our programs go beyond helping farmers learn how to grow quality,
sustainable cocoa,” said Terry O’Day, Senior Vice President, Chief
Supply Chain Officer. “We work with our partners to improve the
wellbeing of all families through education and development projects
that benefit everyone in the community.”

“In addition to the support of the individual farm, providing the
opportunities necessary to help build thriving communities is critical
to the long-term success of the farming sector. We share Hershey’s
vision of benefiting thousands of lives,” said Kip Walk, Corporate
Director, Sustainability at Blommer.

Cocoa farmers around the town of Teapleau are part of the CARET Cocoa
Cooperative and have been part of the Hershey Learn to Grow
program for two years. In partnership with the local community and CARET
Cooperative, Hershey, Blommer and Olam Cocoa built the health center
based on the community needs as determined by the community members.
“We’re all very happy about this facility. We’re very thankful,” said
local cocoa farmer Jean François Yomi.

The health center project was coordinated with the Ivorian government
and the government will manage the staffing and long-term management of
the facility.

Hershey, Blommer and Olam Cocoa Begin Construction of Second Health
Center

In December, Hershey representatives placed the corner stone of a second
health center scheduled for construction in 2016. This second center
will be located outside the city of Man in the village of Siambly. This
facility is expected to provide access to health services to 3,000
families or approx. 24,000 people in six communities.

Hershey Achieves 2015 Certified and Sustainable Cocoa Goal, Sets New
Target for 2017

In related news, Hershey confirmed that it had achieved its goal to
source 50 percent of its global cocoa supply from certified and
sustainable sources by the end of 2015, a full year ahead of its
original schedule. Given this accelerated progress, the company has set
a new target of sourcing 75 percent of its global cocoa supply
from certified and sustainable sources by the end of 2017. Hershey has
committed to source 100 percent certified and sustainable cocoa by 2020.

Last year, Hershey announced that reaching this important responsible
sourcing milestone would enable the company to source enough certified
and sustainable cocoa in 2016 to surpass the amount of cocoa required,
on a mass balance basis, for the global production of four of its most
popular chocolate brands: Hershey’s, Kisses, Kit Kat® (United
States only) and Brookside. In addition, Hershey pledged that it
will add the global Reese’s brand, the company’s largest brand,
and others to these four brands in 2017.

For more information about Hershey’s cocoa sustainability efforts, visit Hershey’s
Shared Goodness Website
.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global
confectionery leader known for bringing goodness to the world through
its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has
approximately 22,000 employees around the world who work every day to
deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands
around the world that drive more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues,
including such iconic brand names as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s
Kisses, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers and Brookside. Building
on its core business, Hershey is expanding its portfolio to include a
broader range of delicious snacks. The company remains focused on
growing its presence in key international markets while continuing to
extend its competitive advantage in North America.

At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products.
For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly,
ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the
Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on
giving underserved children the skills and support they need to be
successful. Today, the company continues this social purpose through
‘Nourishing Minds,’ a global initiative that provides basic nutrition to
help children learn and grow. From neighborhoods across the United
States to the streets of Shanghai and Mumbai and villages of West
Africa, our goal is to nourish one million minds by 2020. To learn more
visit: www.thehersheycompany.com.

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About Olam Cocoa

Olam Cocoa is a fully integrated cocoa business that supplies cocoa
beans and cocoa products. Cocoa beans are sourced from all major origins
and Olam Cocoa’s portfolio of respected brands is spearheaded by the
iconic deZaan, with its heritage of more than 100 years of excellence,
plus Pan-African origin brand Unicao, South American brand Joanes, and
the well-established Macao powders and Britannia specialty fats brands.
Olam Cocoa has processing, refining and milling presence in the main
cocoa producing countries, as well as in, or adjacent to, primary
consumption markets in Europe, USA, Canada and Asia.

Alongside a substantial operational infrastructure, Olam Cocoa
recognises the clear responsibility to operate sustainably and grow
responsibly. This is formalised through the award-winning Olam
Livelihood Charter (OLC) and is supported by the Olam Farmer Information
System (OFIS) that collects and analyses data at the farmgate level for
targeted project development. This is further enhanced by the Socially
and Environmentally Responsible Agricultural Practices (SERAP)
programme. As one of the world’s foremost suppliers of sustainable
cocoa, Olam Cocoa is accelerating progress towards its goal of 100%
sustainably sourced cocoa by 2020.

About The Blommer Chocolate Company

Blommer Chocolate Company is the largest cocoa processor and ingredient
chocolate supplier in North America. With over 800 employees and four
strategically located manufacturing facilities in North America, the
company provides comprehensive business solutions for domestic and
international customers of all sizes in the confectionery, baking and
dairy industries. Among Blommer’s core competencies are cocoa bean
processing, chocolate manufacturing, commodity risk management, and
product and process R&D. The company is a leader in advancing
sustainable cocoa farming, playing an active role in the World Cocoa
Foundation and promoting sustainable farming practices through its
privately managed programs in Cote d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Ecuador.
Founded in 1939, the family-owned and operated company maintains an
outstanding reputation for customer service and quality. For more
information about Blommer Chocolate Company, please visit www.blommer.com.

Contacts

The Hershey Company
Jeff Beckman, 717-534-8090
jbeckman@hersheys.com

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