Corporate candy giants Milton Hershey and Forrest Mars built business empires out of one of the world's most magical, sought-after substances: choc...
read full description
reviews
Apr 22, 2008
Karen
rated it: 
The intrigue behind the innocent wrapper of a Hershey's chocolate bar is surprising. This book describes the story of the long-standing Hershey and Mars competition, along with all of the attendant commercial spying. You'll definitely need a chocolate fix after reading this book.
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Aug 09, 2011
I found this book fascinating but for me, I think the most interesting parts were the history of chocolate in America prior to World War II, the differences in chocolate preferences by country and the amazing facts about the Mars & Hershey competitiveness, product research, development and manufacturing. LOL, well that pretty well covers the entire book!
I have learned so much - I couldn't contain myself and have been spouting out factoids to hubby-dog who listens with an interestin More...
I have learned so much - I couldn't contain myself and have been spouting out factoids to hubby-dog who listens with an interestin More...
Nov 08, 2009
Joseph
rated it:
This book immeidately caught my eye cuz there was just sooooooo much chocolate on the cover.....i was going to eat this book so i just took it and first licked it then ate each page inside slowly one by one...just kiddingg lol.
this book talks about the history of chocolate mainly american chocoalte that includes mars and hershey brands. did u know that they actually are like top competitors and thats totalyl crazy because u dont really notice it now. but in the book, its like what e More...
this book talks about the history of chocolate mainly american chocoalte that includes mars and hershey brands. did u know that they actually are like top competitors and thats totalyl crazy because u dont really notice it now. but in the book, its like what e More...
Jun 22, 2009
Doug
rated it:
This was a fantastic book about chocolate in general and about the linked histories of Hershey and Mars -- two of the largest (and at one time) privately held chocolate companies in the world.
About one-third of the book introduces you to the history of chocolate and how the world came to know it. The the rest of the book uses the competition and history of Mars and Hershey to introduce the reader to the various varieties, what is takes (in general) to make it, and the various likes a More...
About one-third of the book introduces you to the history of chocolate and how the world came to know it. The the rest of the book uses the competition and history of Mars and Hershey to introduce the reader to the various varieties, what is takes (in general) to make it, and the various likes a More...
Apr 25, 2009
Schmacko
rated it:
Crazy candy makers – Roald Dahl created the quintessential sweet-toothed loon in Willy Wonka of Charley and the Chocolate Factory. Wonka seems supremely batty, but Dahl wasn’t too far from the truth. Candy-making is nutty, in more ways than one!
In The Emperors of Chocolate, biographer Joël Glenn Brenner takes on the history of American’s two largest chocolate making families, the Hersheys and the Marses. These are names we grew up with, stuffing Hershey Kisses or the famous Mars S More...
In The Emperors of Chocolate, biographer Joël Glenn Brenner takes on the history of American’s two largest chocolate making families, the Hersheys and the Marses. These are names we grew up with, stuffing Hershey Kisses or the famous Mars S More...
Jan 01, 2012
Frederick
rated it: 
The story of two huge candy companies and the people who founded them. It talks about the chocolate market, the process by which chocolate gets from the bean growing on the tree to the candy bar in the store. It talks about the history of chocolate and how it came to be so popular.Hershey's was founded by Milton Hershey who developed the town of Hershey and Hershey School for Boys. Hershey's is the largest candy company in America, but its chocolate is totally inedible for anyone in any other co
More...
Jan 20, 2011
Toni
rated it:
This could have been a very fine book. The subject was interesting, and the author did her research, and overall I enjoyed it. I learned a lot about chocolate, and I thought that it was presented well in general.
Why I only gave it 3 stars:
* The author repeats herself A LOT. Quite often, in the exact same words. I don't think an editor ever saw this book. She doesn't just repeat things one more time--it's over & over & over. It made me wonder if this book originally was a More...
Why I only gave it 3 stars:
* The author repeats herself A LOT. Quite often, in the exact same words. I don't think an editor ever saw this book. She doesn't just repeat things one more time--it's over & over & over. It made me wonder if this book originally was a More...
Jun 28, 2008
Denice
rated it: 
Fascinating! I had a hard time not telling anyone around whatever interesting piece of info I learned on each page. My husband is reading it now so I would stop saying "Hey, did you know..."
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 19, 2010
Linda
rated it:
This was an impulse grab in the Parma Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Library (#1 Library in the Nation second year in a row in its category). The cover sucked me in and what was inside was sometimes as sweet. The book is old and so I'm sure some of the players have changed at the tops of both companies.
Still, the starts of the chocolate industry in this country and the main purveyors remains fascinating. The book does bog down in spots like when more than halfway through you're More...
Still, the starts of the chocolate industry in this country and the main purveyors remains fascinating. The book does bog down in spots like when more than halfway through you're More...
Mar 30, 2011
Meryl
rated it:
You'll never look at an M&M or Reese's Pieces the same
Interesting insight into the history of two the largest chocolate companies in the world. The book starts by telling the humble beginnings of Hershey and Mars and then contrasting their evolution into the modern day chocolate titans they have become. Anyone who is interested in chocolate and the food industry should read this book because it provides a good overview of two American heritage companies. Just be prepared to have a sudden urge fo More...
Interesting insight into the history of two the largest chocolate companies in the world. The book starts by telling the humble beginnings of Hershey and Mars and then contrasting their evolution into the modern day chocolate titans they have become. Anyone who is interested in chocolate and the food industry should read this book because it provides a good overview of two American heritage companies. Just be prepared to have a sudden urge fo More...
Sep 10, 2009
Bruce
rated it:
I've got a backlog of reviews, alas, from a summer spent in academic pursuits. So this one will have to be a bit lame. I can't really improve on the comments made in BusinessWeek, so I won't.
I will add to them, however. First, to say that it is a shame that Ms. Brenner has not seen fit (or perhaps had opportunity?) to continue her website or keep the information she provided up-to-date. This book ping-pongs the reader delightfully through the entire history of the Mars and Hershey More...
I will add to them, however. First, to say that it is a shame that Ms. Brenner has not seen fit (or perhaps had opportunity?) to continue her website or keep the information she provided up-to-date. This book ping-pongs the reader delightfully through the entire history of the Mars and Hershey More...
5 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Oct 03, 2011
Colleen
rated it:
Next on my to-do list, get this book into the hands of my M.B.A.-holding, choco-holic mother. I'm the furthest thing from a business major, and not quite to her level of choco-holism (though I have been known to consume entire chocolate lava cakes) and this knocked my socks off. The most minor of downsides -- I think everyone I know is aware just how much I was enjoying the book because I simply, compulsively, could not stop talking about it... particularly in my office where there are way, way
More...
Mar 06, 2010
Danielle
rated it: 
Phew! Finally! I've been truckin' through this one for way too long now. I was really happy to see that the last 25 pages were notes and an index, so I was done sooner than I thought I'd be.
Okay, this wasn't a bad book, really, you just have to know what you're in for. I was expecting more "chocolate" and "secret" and less "world of Hershey and Mars." This book was primarily about the "chocolate wars" of these two large corporations. Any discussion a More...
Okay, this wasn't a bad book, really, you just have to know what you're in for. I was expecting more "chocolate" and "secret" and less "world of Hershey and Mars." This book was primarily about the "chocolate wars" of these two large corporations. Any discussion a More...
Oct 23, 2008
Annie
rated it:
How fitting that I would read this book right at the beginning of Halloween time, a major month for candy. This informative book traces the beginning of and evolution of Hershey and Mars, the largest candy companies in the United States. The men who founded them are starkly different, the Mars family secretive and paranoid, while Hershey gave his entire fortune away to run an orphanage for poor children. The author traces the transformation of the two companies through time, like how Hershey
More...
Apr 14, 2009
Jeanette
rated it:
I'll never look at chocolate the same again.
This book was a surprisingly fascinating read. I kept reading out loud or telling my husband about what I was reading because it was all just so interesting and I wanted to share.
I knew the history of Milton Hershey and the Utopian community he tried to create as well as the orphanage he started. What I did not know was how the company he started was managed or mismanaged, as the case may be, after his death. In my opinion, it is nothing sh More...
This book was a surprisingly fascinating read. I kept reading out loud or telling my husband about what I was reading because it was all just so interesting and I wanted to share.
I knew the history of Milton Hershey and the Utopian community he tried to create as well as the orphanage he started. What I did not know was how the company he started was managed or mismanaged, as the case may be, after his death. In my opinion, it is nothing sh More...
Oct 28, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
What better book to read during the Trick or Treat Season than a book about chocolate? The Emperors of Chocolate is a non-fiction look at the history of 2 American chocolate companies: Hershey and Mars. The book looks at how both companies were founded, how they developed their businesses and the history of competition between the two. The book was very readable and filled with interesting factoids about the chocolate industry. The book alternates between the histories of Mars and Hershey and a
More...
Jul 16, 2008
Kevin
rated it:
hershey's was a three time failure at candy. his father was a louse. then one day he figured out a new way to make caramels. he sold to stores then opened his store, then stores. by 30 he was a mogul of caramels. then he sold his entire operation for 1 million, toured europe, studying milk chocolate techniques.
his version, invented soon after, was unusual in that he curdled his milk subtly and hence the sharp taste of hersheys was born: the first chocolate cheese.
forrest More...
his version, invented soon after, was unusual in that he curdled his milk subtly and hence the sharp taste of hersheys was born: the first chocolate cheese.
forrest More...
Jul 23, 2009
Aimee
rated it:
This was an interesting look into the Mars & Hershey companies from their inception to the near past. I enjoyed it for the most part. There were several needless repetitions due to the organization (or lack thereof) of the book. But, overall an informative and entertaining read. It did make me crave chocolate the whole way through, however. So maybe if the Mars execs weren't thrilled with the portrayal of themselves, they should be grateful for some free advertising and marketing!
Apr 18, 2010
Phillip
rated it:
i read this as my advisory book. it is an interesting book. it talks about the history of hershey and the most grandeur hershey stores around the globe. it teaches the reader a lot about chemistry as well when they talk about the production process of their chocolates. an interesting fact is that they use 80% milk in their chocolate
i recommend this book to any chocolate fanatics
i recommend this book to any chocolate fanatics
Apr 11, 2010
Converse
rated it:
Interesting business history, focusing on Hershey & Mars. Hershey started out as a privately owned company, and his ideas had a tight grip on the company's thinking long after his death. Mars is still a family owned company, with some oddities as a result of the founder's pecularities. Grasp on technical details sometimes slips. But enlightening on how companies do marketing.
Jul 28, 2008
Garrett
rated it:
An inside look at the candy industry... Brenner focuses her writing primarily on Hershey and Mars. The book bounces around between characters and time periods as it covers Mars, then Hershey, then Mars, and so on. Because of this chapter volleying, some general information is repeated unnecessarily. Brenner does a nice job of sketching the big players, presents a lot of great business information that must have been a bear to gather. Must have been? No, Brenner reflects on the difficulty of her
More...
Sep 12, 2008
Brandy
rated it:
The content here is interesting, but the organization is horrible. Brenner jumps around chronologically, following one company through a tangent, jumping back to the beginning, then following the other company through a different tangent. With the jumping around, he repeats a lot of information (to the point that, several times, I wondered if I'd accidentally flipped back a few pages without realizing).
Also, this is a little dated now--not the book's fault, but it was published i More...
Also, this is a little dated now--not the book's fault, but it was published i More...
May 22, 2011
Molly
rated it:
Pretty interesting summary of the world of Mars and Hershey. Having grown up just outside of Hershey, PA, I figured I had been brainwashed into loving/idolizing Milton Hershey and hating Mars-and I was surprised that the author did a good job of giving me evidence to support my previously claimless biases! Overall, the topic is quite interesting and relatively well-presented (there are a few parts that seem disorganized or repetitive, but not so much as to turn one off of the overarching story
More...
Mar 13, 2009
Charlotte
rated it:
As a chocolate lover who has lived near Hershey, PA, I found this book delicious. Centered around the birth, development, and rivalry of the two big American chocolate makers- Hershey and Mars- this book is full of fascinating details. Although the presentation and timeline are a little jumbled and the facts at times redundant, it is well worth the time of anyone who loves chocolate. I had no idea the world of confections was so complex and secretive.
PS- save yourself some time More...
PS- save yourself some time More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 24, 2011
Natasha
rated it:
This book was pretty interesting. Some aspects were a tad boring like I didn't care about the management or who will be succeeding who. I did like learning about how candy was made, how candy ideas were created, and how candy was copied from other candy makers. Reading this book made me really want chocolate.
May 29, 2010
Emu
rated it:
I was surprised by the crazy world of candy-making! This book was very well-written and intriguing. If you plan on reading this book, though, be sure to have lots of chocolate on hand. (I actually started craving Snickers, and I don't even like Snickers...)
Aside from the chocolate part, I thought it was fascinating to find out more about the world of business, advertising, etc.
I will make it a point not to buy anything from Hershey or Mars from now on.
Aside from the chocolate part, I thought it was fascinating to find out more about the world of business, advertising, etc.
I will make it a point not to buy anything from Hershey or Mars from now on.
Mar 25, 2010
Julie
rated it:
Not the type of book I would ordinarily pick up; but, a readable, fascinating account of the very different men from the dysfunctional Hershey and Mars families who, almost in spite of themselves, established two of the best-known companies in the world.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 13, 2010
I think the first chapter can be skipped, because it doesn't seem to fit, and is a little dry, but from chapter 2 on, this is a wonderful book! I actually own a few copies (one for me, and the rest to give).
May 08, 2009
Sjauna
rated it:
An interesting insight into the history and competition of the chocolate industry. Now every time I go to eat some chocolate, I wonder who made it - who's empire I am supporting and what secrets they're hiding.
Feb 29, 2008
Sally
rated it:
I must admit I was surprised at how secretive the major chocolate companies are. I learned from this book that if Mars has to bring in an out-of-house technician to work on machinery, they are blindfolded until they reach their destination, and machines they are not working on are draped. Yikes. It's chocolate, guys, and not the best chocolate in the world, either. Goes to show that candy bars are every bit as "big business" as breakfast cereal, tobacco and infant formula.... As I
More...
