Hershey says expansion still on in Augusta County

There are major shakeups going on at Hershey Company where eight board members were replaced over the weekend. As Augusta County's # 1 taxpayer, this area is keeping a close eye on what is unfolding at Hershey's Pennsylvania corporate headquarters.

Amid dropping stock numbers and loss of profits, Hershey is closing a plant in Connecticut, and moving production of Almond Joy and Mounds bars to Augusta County's Stuarts Draft plant which adds 150 production jobs to this area.

Bob Stuart at the Waynesboro News Virginian has more here.

Hershey in Augusta County: How sweet it is!

Stuarts Draft, Virginia, could be called the second sweetest place on earth behind Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hershey Chocolate built a Virginia plant in Augusta County 25 years ago that resulted in jobs for local citizens and an ongoing relationship with the community. Today they employ over 700 and are the number one taxpayer in the county. Often while driving through Stuarts Draft the smell of chocolate wafts through the air.

Hershey recently celebrated their 25th anniversary in Augusta County with an open house and a $48 million expansion to the plant which will add 110 new jobs to the area. Equipment to produce seasonal products has been installed, and production of most of the peanut butter-filled products has been moved to the Virginia plant.

Currently Hershey's in Stuarts Draft produces 5 million peanut butter cups a day -- 5 million! That's a lot of Reese's Cups. They will soon begin turning out Mounds and Almond Joys from this factory.

Hershey's in Augusta County ... how sweet it is!