Hershey says it has solved the case of the missing tips atop its Kisses candies, after angry holiday bakers complained about imperfect points.
"We looked at the entire Kiss manufacturing process, and we made some adjustments to shaping the tips to allow us to have greater consistency," CEO Michele Buck told CNBC on Thursday.
There was an outcry among holiday bakers in December when they discovered the tips of Kisses, which they had planned to use for baking cookies and other confections, were missing. Several took to social media to complain to the company, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
At the time, Hershey was largely mum on the cause. Spokesperson Jeff Beckman told The New York Times "there are many variables'" in the production process. Beckman also told the paper the company was "working to improve the appearance" of the candies.
"We were seeing some inconsistency in the tip shaping," Buck said. She declined to provide detail regarding the manufacturing flaws that caused Kisses to arrive with broken-off tips but said changes have been made to prevent further disappointment.
Due to the volume of candy the company manufactures, there will be a period in which customers may still find Kisses with missing tips.
Buck said Hershey "really appreciated" how strongly bakers felt about the Kisses and their iconic shape.
"We value their feedback," she said.
Hershey's focus on the quality of products dates back to its founder, Milton Hershey, who created the chocolate empire in 1894. Milton's belief that quality is the best form of advertising ran so strong in the company's culture that it didn't launch a marketing department until the 1960s.
Hershey's Kisses, along with Kit-Kats and its namesake chocolate bars, are three of the country's top chocolate brands, according to Euromonitor. The Kisses have become so intrinsically linked with the company that Kiss-shaped lampposts adorn the streets of Hershey, Pennsylvania — tip and all.
