Nestlé USA takes on Hershey’s Reese’s with Butterfinger cups
A Nestlé USA spokesperson said: “America’s candy industry has had one giant brand in the peanut butter cup category – but not anymore.”
Nestlé will introduce Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups across US retail stores in January 2014.
Serving sizes and price
The cups will come in 1.5 oz (42.5 g) single size with two cups per pack, a 3 oz (85 g) share pack with four cups per pack and a 40 oz (1,134 g) assorted fun size bag that includes regular Butterfinger, Butterfinger Crisp and Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups.
The serving on single packs is 0.5g greater than Reese’s single serves and contains 20 more calories. The Nestlé single bags carry a 230 calories mark front of pack.
The suggested retail price for singles is $0.89-$1.19, share packs $1.69-$1.89 and 4.99-$5.99 for 40oz. assorted fun bags.
Supported by Super Bowl ad
The Nestlé spokesperson called Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups one of the biggest candy launches from Nestlé USA.
“So big in fact, it will be the first time in the company’s US history when one of its brands will be featured in a Super Bowl commercial.”
Nestle rival Mars has exclusive rights to use the NFL Super Bowl logo on chocolate products and recently said that that sporting event attracted 165 million viewers, equivalent to 52 million households.
Reese's was created in 1928 by H.B. Reese, an ex-foreman of a Hershey plant, who left the Hershey company to set up his own business. The Reese's brand joined Hershey's portfolio when the H.B. Reese Candy Company merged with Hershey in 1963*. The Butterfinger brand was created by the Curtiss Candy Company of Chicago in 1923. Nestlé acquired the brand from Nabisco in 1990.
Another Reese’s alternative fairly new to the market is Unreal Candy’s ‘The Double One’, peanut butter cups that are free from GMOs, corn syrup and trans fats.
In 2011, Hershey dropped a trademark lawsuit against Mars that alleged the packaging for Mars' Dove peanut butter Promises was similar to that of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
*EDITED - This article previously said that Hershey introduced Reese’s in 1928.
