NEW YORK — The Hershey Co. is launching a new candy brand, its first new brand in 30 years, a soft caramel creme line called Lancaster. And for the first time, the company is taking a double-barreled approach, debuting the candy in the U.S. and China at once.
The move comes as China increasingly becomes a focus for U.S.-based consumer-goods companies that are seeking to offset slower growth in developed markets such as North America. Hershey, which makes candy such as Kit Kat, Twizzlers and Hershey’s Kisses, said new products in both the U.S. and overseas helped its net income rise 18 percent in its most recent quarter.
“China and the U.S. are major focus markets for the company,” said Steven Schiller, senior vice president of sweets and refreshment. China is the second-largest sweets market behind the U.S., he added.
The Lancaster name stems from founder Milton Hershey’s first candy company, The Lancaster Caramel Co., founded in 1886. And the candy comes after 2½ years of research into consumer tastes.
