Reflection 1: The Emperors of Chocolate by Joel Glenn Brenner
When I first started reading this book, I was confused because it was taking about the wars in Kuwait and then all of a sudden it begins discussing how Mar’s Corporation was sending goodies to the US and British Military. I never knew this. I found that very interesting, that it was there way of showing support to our soldiers. I think it is pretty awesome! But I guess there was a definite rival between Hershey’s and Mars because it then goes into discussion as to how Hershey held the prestigious spot of supplying candy to our chief commander of the military. It blows my mind that there were power struggles even in the candy business.
Reflection 2: In the book, you learn how Frank Mars house was falling apart. The business was leading to bankruptcy, His wife Ethel, divorced him and gained custody of their son. Frank had poured every penny of his into the company. His wife couldn’t take it anymore.
After his divorce, Ethel sent their son to live with her parents and took a job as a sales clerk because Frank wasn’t sending any money to help her.
The most interesting thing that stuck out to me was that Frank Mars remarried, and the woman that he married was also named Ethel. What kind of mind did this man have?
Frank Mars attempted multiple times to begin his business and failed multiple times. He ended up filing for bankruptcy three times.
Reflection 3: Further into the book, it talks about how everything that becomes popular eventually has its downfalls. This is what happened to chocolate companies. Chocolate was now the blame for acne, migraines, dental problems, and many other things. I was shocked to learn that they considered chocolate as a narcotic, saying that had made people do crazy things. You hear people say that chocolate makes them hyper, but can it control us?
I thought that it was interesting to learn that London’s chocolate stores beat out the coffee shops and taverns. The process for making the chocolate is amazing, expensive and time consuming.
Reflection 4: I found it interesting that MIlton Hershey didn’t involve himself in the daily plannings of the company’s operation. I felt that he would want to know what was going on and how things were going, but he didn’t. He believed in his employee’s! I found this fascinating because you do not see trust like this very much anymore. You have cameras monitoring your every movement in factories and Mr. Hershey felt that his employee’s got more accomplished when he wasn’t around. Mr. Hershey was a generous man and invested his money not just for himself, but to help others. I love that he believed a person’s character is determined by the environment that they are brought up in and not hereditary.
The town of Hershey was a great place. People would gather at the park to hear music and play. Mr. Hershey helped several boys change their life.
Reflection 5: I never knew that the M&M factory was in Newark, New Jersey. I always thought that it was in Pennsylvania.Well now that I have put two and two together and realized that M&M’s are made by Mar’s, it makes sense. I never really paid attention to the brand or the company that made the candy, I just looked at the wrapper.
Forrest Mars sr. was a pile driver. He had expectations that no one could even expect. He expected his employees to get to work before their scheduled time since he did, he would scream and yell throughout the factory. He truly treated his employees poorly. In my mind, I could kind of see why this company struggled multiple times, the way they have treated people blows my mind. They truly do not hold themselves to a standard and feel that they can speak or treat anyone, anyway.
I never knew that M&M were the initials of the two business partners. I just figured it was something catchy! Mars and Murrie. Bruce Murrie was the partner and Mars treated him not any better than his employees. This is so disappointing to read and hear about! I never imagined the candu world to be so grim and dark.
Reflection 6: It was easy to figure out and guess because of Mars behavior that he was jealous of Hershey. He hired a man named Charles Kaufman to figure out a way to make your own chocolate. Mars felt that he was too dependent on Hershey for chocolate and wanted a way to make his own. I feel that Mars was extremely greedy. His company was doing awesome. He was competing with Hershey head to head, but in order to make his candy, he had to rely on Hershey for the chocolate and this just couldn’t be. It wasn’t until 1965 when this slowly became a reality and Mars informed Hershey that he would no longer be purchasing chocolate from them.
As the book goes on, it talks about how Hershey brought in one of the orphan boys that he had helped. Hershey never did this because he felt the boys needed to earn their jobs on their own, but this was an exception. The boy/ man’s name was Dearden. People saw Milton Hershey in Dearden and had great expectations for him. The people felt that Dearden was going to make Hershey thrive again as it once did.
