York Peppermint Pattie


York Peppermint Pattie is an American dark chocolate enrobed peppermint confection introduced in 1940 and currently produced by The Hershey Company.
The confectionery features strongly contrasting flavors, with a particularly bitter dark chocolate surrounding a sugary center with a strong peppermint flavor.
Although chocolate-covered peppermints already existed before the York Peppermint Pattie came on the market, the York differed in that it was more firm and crisp, while the competition was softer and gooier. A former employee and York resident Phil Kollin remembered the final test that sample patties went through before leaving the factory: "It was a snap test. If the candy didn't break clean in the middle, it was a second."

History

The York Peppermint Pattie was first produced in York, Pennsylvania by Henry Kessler at his York Cone Company in 1940 and sold in the Northeastern United States, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Florida.
In 1972, the York Cone Company was acquired by Peter Paul, who then launched the confectionery nationally in 1975. During the 1970s, Peter Paul launched a memorable advertising campaign for the candy with the tagline "Get the Sensation" which continues to be used into the present day.
In 1978, Peter Paul merged with Cadbury. York passed to the Hershey Foods Corporation when it acquired the US operations of Cadbury Schweppes in 1988.
In 2009, production of the York Peppermint Pattie moved from Reading, Pennsylvania, to Mexico.

Variations