Wilbur Chocolate Company

Infobox Company
company_name = The Wilbur Chocolate Company
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan =
foundation = 1865
location = Lititz, Pennsylvania
key_people = Don Pearson, President
industry = Manufacturing
products = Confectionery
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
homepage = [http://www.wilburchocolate.com www.wilburchocolate.com] The Wilbur Chocolate Company is a chocolate manufacturing company located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1865 by Henry Oscar Wilbur and Samuel Croft.cite web |url= http://www.wilburchocolate.com/docs/about_us/timeline.html |title=Timeline - Wilbur Chocolate |accessdate=2007-12-15] It produces more than 150 million pounds (70 million kg) of chocolate a year, which is sold to major food companies and thousands of small shops. The company has a store which sells an assortment of Wilbur chocolates, and a small museum that tells the history of the company and how their chocolate is made.

The company was bought by Cargill in 1992 and is presently part of that company's cocoa and chocolate labels, which also includes Peter's Chocolate (bought from Nestlé in 2002), Gerkens Cacao, and Toshoku Ltd. [cite web |url=http://www.cargill.com/products/food/ps_cocoa.htm |title=Cargill: Cocoa and Chocolate |accessdate=2007-12-15]

Wilbur Buds

Its most popular candy, the Wilbur Bud, was introduced in 1893.cite web |url=http://www.wilburbuds.com/docs/history.html |title=The History of Wilbur Chocolate |accessdate=2007-12-15] The Wilbur Bud closely resembles a Hershey's Kiss, which debuted in 1907. The two products are also frequently compared due to the proximity of their manufacturers, Lititz being only about 20 miles (32 km) from the headquarters of The Hershey Company in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Wilbur Buds are not individually wrapped and have the word "WILBUR" on the bottom of the chocolate.

References