Bittersweet Hershey Kiss

Last Friday, 7/6, was the last day of work for 99 employees at Hershey’s Oakdale plant -- the first in a series of layoffs -- as Hershey prepares to permanently shut down the chocolate factory. 

In a bittersweet twist, Friday also happened to be the day that Hershey celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Hershey Kiss.

The celebration in Hershey, Pa., included the unveiling of the “world’s largest Hershey’s Kisses chocolate.” The massive Kiss weighed more than 30,000 pounds and is “complete with a seven-foot long plume and 16,460 feet of foil wrapping,” according to a Hershey press release. It was certified be the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest piece of chocolate.

The employees who were laid off Friday worked on the Hershey Kisses and Kisses with Almonds production line. It was the first production line to be shuttered, with two more lines scheduled to leave the plant by January. Hershey is closing the Oakdale plant as part of a restructuring plan to shift more production to Mexico. -- Christina Salerno