New PEEPS® Will Melt Hearts This Valentine's Day

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Jan. 24, 2012 -- Valentine's Day 2012 – This year, PEEPS® Brand Marshmallow Candies will set hearts aflutter with new PEEPS® CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRY CREME FLAVORED MARSHMALLOW CHICKS. These delicious PEEPS® candies are the first to marry strawberry creme flavored marshmallow with chocolate. This decadent combination is available in both creamy milk chocolate and rich dark chocolate.

Mark Hoffman, Brand Manager for PEEPS®, commented, "Our chocolate dipped PEEPS® have been a phenomenal success! We are now creating delectable chocolate with enticing new flavored PEEPS® marshmallow. Strawberries dipped in chocolate are a favorite Valentine's Day treat and we know PEEPS® and chocolate fans alike will love this new PEEPS® combination as an indulgent snack or as a gift for someone special.

TREATS IN THE VALENTINE'S LINEUP:

• NEW PEEPS® CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRY CREME FLAVORED MARSHMALLOW CHICKS available in a convenient 3 ct tray, in milk and dark chocolate.
• PEEPS® Chocolate Covered Raspberry Flavored Marshmallow Hearts in single-serve packages, available in milk and dark chocolate.
• PEEPS® "I (HEART) U"™ in 3 ct. and 9 ct. packages.
• PEEPS® Pink Hearts in both 2 ct. and 6 ct. packages.
• PEEPS® Sugar-Free Hearts in 3 ct. packages.
• PEEPS® Chocolate Mousse Flavored Marshmallow Bears in 6 ct. packages.
• PEEPS® Vanilla Creme and Strawberry Creme Flavored Hearts in 9 ct. Packages.
• MIKE AND IKE® Passion Mix in 6 oz Theater Boxes.
• HOT TAMALES® Untamed Love Mix in 6 oz Theater Boxes.

PEEPS® fans can find these treats at their favorite stores or visit www.peepsandcompany.com where they can also find PEEPS®-themed merchandise and apparel.

Fans can also visit the exciting and interactive www.marshmallowpeeps.com to create a personal PEEPS® World and find delicious recipes, fun crafts and PEEPS® art. In addition, fans can submit their own crafts, recipes or art.

Just Born, Inc. is a privately owned company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Bethlehem, PA, where it manufactures PEEPS®, HOT TAMALES®, MIKE AND IKE®, and TEENEE BEANEE® Brand Candies. GOLDENBERG'S PEANUT CHEWS® Brand Candies are produced in Philadelphia, PA. All Just Born candies are made in the U.S.A.

SOURCE Just Born, Inc.

PEEPS® Strawberry Cheesecake

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Jan. 25, 2012  --

Ingredients:

• 7 pkgs (3ct each) PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chicks Dipped in (Dark or Milk) Chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 pkgs (8oz each) cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 3 tbsp. sugar and melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Using kitchen scissors, cut 9 PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chicks into small 1/4" pieces.
4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Blend in milk and mix in the eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth.
5. Fold in the 1/4" pieces of PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chicks.
6. Pour filling into prepared crust.
7. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking.
8. Chill in refrigerator until serving.
9. When ready to serve, cut cheesecake into 12 slices.
10. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a PEEPS® Strawberry Creme Flavored Marshmallow Chick on top.

Makes 12 servings

Just Born, Inc. is a privately owned company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Bethlehem, PA, where it manufactures PEEPS®, HOT TAMALES®, MIKE AND IKE®, MIKE AND IKE® ZOURS® and TEENEE BEANEE® Brand Candies.

GOLDENBERG'S PEANUT CHEWS^® Brand Candies are produced in Philadelphia, PA. All Just Born candies are made in the U.S.A.

Fans can visit the exciting and interactive www.marshmallowpeeps.com to create a personal PEEPS® World and find delicious recipes, fun crafts and PEEPS® art. In addition, fans can submit their own crafts, recipes or art.

Peanut Butter & Co. and Stonyfield Announce Nutty Sweepstakes

Promotion features delicious new healthful recipes for 2012

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2012  -- Peanut Butter & Co. and Stonyfield Organic are pleased to announce a month-long online promotion, the Nutty About Yogurt Sweepstakes!


The two companies have engaged six food bloggers to develop new breakfast recipes using peanut butter from Peanut Butter & Co. and yogurt from Stonyfield Organic. From Friday, January 13, 2012 to February 13, 2012, consumers are invited to vote for their favorite recipe at www.NuttyAboutYogurt.com . The blogger whose recipe gets the most votes will receive $1,000. Consumers taking part in the promotion will be entered into a sweepstakes – 5 random winners will receive a prize pack containing products from Peanut Butter & Co. and Stonyfield valued at $100.


In addition, the first 20,000 people that vote will also receive $1.00-Off coupons from both companies.


The participating bloggers and their recipes are:

Blogger	Blog	Recipe
Brandi Evans	Branappetit branappetit.com	PB&J Rolls with Peanut Butter & Yogurt Glaze
Tina Haupert	Carrots 'N' Cake carrotsncake.com	Maple Peanut Butter Yogurt Scones
Jennifer Orcutt	Peanut Butter and Jenny pbandjenny.com	Peanut Butter & Jelly Baked Yogurt Parfait
Evan Thomas	Wannabe Chef thewannabechef.net	Pumpkin Peanut Butter Muffins with Yogurt Filling
Amelia Winslow	Eating Made Easy eating-made-easy.com	Peanut Butter Pancakes with Chocolate Yogurt Cream
Lauren Zembron	Healthy Food for Living healthyfoodforliving.com	Peanut Butter Banana Baked French Toast with PB Yogurt Sauce

"We thought this promotion would be a perfect way to start off the new year. So many people are making commitments to eat better. Breakfast is an integral part of a healthful diet, and combining wholesome ingredients like products from Peanut Butter & Co. and Stonyfield is an exciting way to get people thinking about breakfast in a new way," said Peanut Butter & Co.'s Founder & President Lee Zalben.

The Nutty About Yogurt promotion is part of a yearlong breakfast-focused initiative by Peanut Butter & Co. called "Build a Better Breakfast with Peanut Butter," which it developed in partnership with the National Peanut Board, which represents America's peanut growers. Peanut Butter & Co. products are made exclusively with USA-grown peanuts.

About Peanut Butter & Co.Peanut Butter & Co. began in 1998 as a cozy little sandwich shop in Greenwich Village, NYC and is one of the fastest growing natural/specialty food companies in the US. The Company's ten varieties of all-natural, flavored peanut butter are available in over 15,000 supermarkets and specialty retailers, and Dark Chocolate Dreams, the Company's chocolate flavored peanut butter is the #1 selling all-natural chocolate nut spread in the country (Source: IRI). Peanut Butter & Co.'s products are made exclusively from USA-grown peanuts. Find out more at www.ilovepeanutbutter.com and www.facebook.com/PeanutButterCo and www.twitter.com/PeanutButterCo .

About Stonyfield FarmStonyfield, celebrating its 28th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. Its use of organic ingredients helps keep over 200,000 farm acres free of toxic, persistent pesticides and chemical fertilizers known to contaminate soil, drinking water and food. To help reduce climate change, Stonyfield offsets all of the C02 emissions generated from its facility energy use. Stonyfield also donates 10% of its profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth. For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit www.stonyfield.com or follow Stonyfield on Twitter @Stonyfield and @StonyfieldBiz, and on Facebook www.facebook.com/StonyfieldFarm .

To Crunch or To Chew? With New Jolly Rancher Crunch 'n Chew Candy, You Can Do Both!

Jolly Rancher Teams up with Videographers and Asks Fans to Vote for their Favorite Crunchy and Chewy Video

HERSHEY, Pa., Jan. 16, 2012  -- The Jolly Rancher® brand is introducing a unique way to enjoy bold fruit flavor with Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew® candy. With a crunchy candy shell and a soft, chewy center, new Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew combines the unmistakably, bold fruit flavors of original Jolly Rancher® Hard Candy with the chewiness of Jolly Rancher® Chews. The result is a new, untamed candy experience that satisfies both crunchy and chewy candy fans. To celebrate the product launch, Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy partnered with Poptent, an online videographer community, to create cool original video spots highlighting the crunchy and chewy elements of the new Jolly Rancher product and is inviting consumers to cast their vote and help choose the winning video.

Poptent is a vibrant community of filmmakers, actors, comedians, animators and more who are connecting to each other and to brands to showcase their talents while exploring a new way of creating branded messages for the Internet age. The Jolly Rancher assignment received a tremendous response, surpassing expectations with nearly 200 creative submissions ranging from catchy musical raps to humorous spoofs focusing on the product's unique characteristics. Consumers are invited to engage with Jolly Rancher and learn about the new product by voting for their favorite Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy video at www.jollyrancher.com.

Starting today, fans can visit the Jolly Rancher website (www.jollyrancher.com) to view the final three videos and cast their vote for their favorite commercial once per day through February 15, 2012. After the votes are tallied, the prize-winning videographer will produce two additional videos, resulting in a three-part video series that will be posted on the Jolly Rancher website this spring.

Jolly Rancher fans can visit www.jollyrancher.com and vote for one of three original video spots:

• Do You Wanna Crunch – A vibrant and catchy Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew rap, highlighting the product's crunchy and chewy characteristics.
• Brand New – Jolly Rancher's newest product inspires young artists to produce a fresh new track that starts on the basketball court and finishes as a colorful music video.
• The Adventures of Bart the Bold – Part 1 – Bart the Bold goes on a bold adventure, defeating villains and eating Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy along the way. Consumers can choose where Bart's adventure takes him next!

"The combination of a hard candy shell and a soft, chewy center gives candy lovers the best of both worlds and the chance to experience the untamed fruit flavor of Jolly Rancher candies in a brand new way," said Anna Lingeris, spokesperson for the Jolly Rancher brand and The Hershey Company. "We wanted to give our fans the opportunity to engage with the brand like never before and after reviewing the nearly 200 submissions from Poptent videographers across the country, we've selected our top three videos and are excited for our fans to select the winner."

With four mouthwatering flavors including cherry, blue raspberry, green apple and watermelon, Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy offers an intense taste experience unlike any other and is available nationwide at mass grocery, drug and convenience stores. For more information and to cast your vote for one of three original Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew video spots, visit Jolly Rancher online at www.jollyrancher.com.

About Jolly RancherThe Jolly Rancher® brand produces a wide selection of candy varieties, including Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, Gummies, Chews, Awesome Twosome Chews, Sours Candy, Jelly Beans, Candy Canes, Stix Candy, Lollipops and the latest, Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew. With a wide variety of flavors to choose from, including cherry, blue raspberry, watermelon and green apple, among others, Jolly Rancher candy is the perfect dose of bold fruit flavor to wake up your taste buds.

Jolly Rancher was founded in 1949 and acquired by The Hershey Company in 1996. For more information, visit www.jollyrancher.com.

About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, PA, The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and more than 12,000 employees. With revenues of nearly $6 billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more than 25 brand names, including such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bliss, Hershey's Special Dark and Hershey's Extra Dark, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers. Hershey also is a leader in the premium and artisan chocolate segments, with such brands as Scharffen Berger and Dagoba, offered through the Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary. The company is focused on growing its presence in key international markets such as China and Mexico while continuing to build its competitive advantage in the United States and Canada.

For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where its employees live, work and do business. Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the company's global business strategy, which includes goals and priorities focused on fair and ethical business dealings, environmental stewardship, fostering a desirable workplace for employees, and positively impacting society and local communities. Milton Hershey School, established in 1909 by the company's founder and administered by Hershey Trust Company, provides a quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. Students of Milton Hershey School are direct beneficiaries of The Hershey Company's success.

SOURCE The Hershey Company

DOVE® Dark Chocolate Celebrates The New Year With Celebrity Chef Claire Robinson

This New Year's Season They Partner To Share 5 "Must-Do" Tips For Resolutions You Actually Want

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., Jan. 13, 2012 -- In celebration of the New Year, Mars Chocolate North America announces that its DOVE® Brand Dark Chocolate has partnered with celebrity chef Claire Robinson to showcase how to make 5 tasty New Year's resolutions that are easy to keep all year long!




Many Americans start the year with good intentions to keep resolutions, but a large percentage give up as early as January because of incorrect expectations. DOVE® Dark Chocolate and Claire Robinson want to provide 5 tips and excellent options that can help people enjoy making healthy changes without compromising taste. DOVE® Dark Chocolate's silky smooth creamy taste provides an unparalleled dark chocolate experience.

"Many people resolve each year to give up something they love, but that isn't actually necessary in many cases," says Debra A. Sandler, Chief Consumer Officer, Mars Chocolate North America. "We are thrilled to be working with Claire Robinson to kick-off the New Year with resolutions that people will be able to keep year-round without having to sacrifice things like the silky smooth taste of DOVE® Dark Chocolate."

Claire Robinson's Top 5 Tips For Keeping Resolutions In 2012

1. START WITH SMALL STEPS – A common mistake is making drastic resolutions that are difficult to keep and that sacrifice important things. Choosing dark chocolate as part of a healthier regime doesn't mean you have to sacrifice great taste. DOVE® Dark Chocolate has all of the positive benefits of cocoa flavanols, but still maintains the silky smooth creamy taste the brand is known for.
2. CREATE A BUILT-IN REWARD SYSTEM - To reinforce your long-term goals, implement a built-in reward system that allows you to celebrate the small victories and keeps you motivated. The portion size of DOVE® Dark Chocolate PROMISES makes it easy to enjoy as a reward every day.
3. ENLIST A FRIEND – Life is about good friendships and accountability. Find a friend who has similar goals and check-in with each other regularly on progress and to find solutions to roadblocks.
4. MAKE YOUR TIME COUNT – From planning a successful workout regimen to getting your errands done, split up your tasks into small, easy-to-accomplish steps. It may feel like it is taking longer, but you are actually adding space into your life.
5. DO GOOD, FEEL BETTER - Choose a community or philanthropic organization that you are passionate about and get involved. And remember, by participating in a series of activities over a six-month period—not just a big "one-off" event—will make it easier to keep your commitment and avoid burnout.

As part of the year-long program, Claire will also share her "Top 5" finds for 2012 and a series of delicious, custom recipes featuring her new secret weapon in the kitchen: DOVE® Dark Chocolate. Her first recipe is a Flourless DOVE® Dark Chocolate Cake and is on the brand's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/dovechocolate).

In conjunction with the New Year's program, Mars Chocolate North America is pleased to announce that its DOVE® Dark Chocolate brand is now the first mainstream chocolate brand to bear the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal on its dark chocolate products—reinforcing the company's long-time commitment to cocoa sustainability.

Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms meet comprehensive standards for sustainable agriculture that protect ecosystems and wildlife, conserve water, reduce agrochemicals, and ensure the rights and well-being of workers, their families and communities.
"I have always been a huge fan of DOVE®'s Dark Chocolate for its silky smooth creamy taste, and how the quality chocolate improves my recipes," says Claire Robinson. "But now through their collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance when you enjoy DOVE®'s Dark Chocolate it not only tastes good, it does good and that is something that is important to me."

About DOVE® Chocolate: DOVE® Chocolate is dedicated to creating the purest, silkiest and highest quality chocolate. Available in large bars, singles bars and iconic PROMISES® individually wrapped treats, DOVE® Chocolate is the perfect guilt-free pleasure any time you need a moment to unwind. Your moment…your DOVE.

DOVE® Dark Chocolate now bears the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal—reinforcing the company's long-time commitment to sustainability. DOVE® Dark Chocolate sources 100% of its cocoa volume from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. When shopping, look for the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ "little green frog" seal on the packaging. The DOVE® Chocolate family of products includes DOVE® Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate, DOVE® Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate, DOVE® Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter, DOVE® Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate Caramel, DOVE® Dark Chocolate Raspberry Swirl, DOVE® Milk Chocolate with Almonds, and DOVE® Dark Chocolate with Almonds. For more information on DOVE® Chocolate products, please visit www.facebook.com/dovechocolate, www.twitter.com/dove_chocolate or www.dovechocolate.com.

Hot at the Golden Globes: Cocopotamus Chocolate Chosen as Golden Globe Awards Celebrity Gift

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Jan. 10, 2012 -- Nominees Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Leonardo Di Caprio, Michael Fassbender and George Clooney are not the only hotties going to the Golden Globe Awards. A spicy new truffle from artisanal chocolatier called Cocopotamus will be heating things up as well. That's because Cocopotamus dark chocolate fudge truffles have been chosen for the Celebrity Gift - also known as the coveted "swag bag" - for the 69th Golden Globe Awards held later this month.

"This is a huge honor for us," says Cocopotamus Chocolate CEO Maxwell Sinclair. "We are very excited." Cocopotamus will also be taking the handmade chocolate truffles live to the celebrities for a charity event at L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills during the two days preceding the actual Golden Globes ceremony.

Last year the chocolatier was chosen as the chocolate for the Academy Awards, and their truffle called Hottie was a huge hit. Celebrities swooned over the dark chocolate fudge truffle with Mexican cinnamon and New Mexican red chili.

Cocopotamus has previously been lauded on national TV by Lifetime Network and Reelz Channel. Their handmade dark chocolate fudge truffles have also gotten the thumbs-up from Food Network celebrities Rachael Ray and Ina Garten, and been featured in publications including Health, American Lifestyle, and Edible Santa Fe.

The 28 Cocopotamus flavors range from classic dark fudge "Cupcake" and the popular "Holy Cow" (their only milk chocolate fudge truffle, hand-dipped in dark chocolate) to the exotic "Hottie," with cinnamon and chili, and "Lemon Shiver," infused with zesty organic California lemon. For lovers of ultra dark chocolate, there is "Bo Beep," an 88% intense dark chocolate fudge with organic black raspberry.

And for Valentine's Day, Cocopotamus has a special flavor called "Love Potion #10," which is a dark chocolate fudge truffle infused with strawberry and Mexican cinnamon.

"We put a new twist on old-fashioned American fudge, honoring our grandmothers by keeping a tradition alive," Sinclair explains. "Taste is very important to us. But we're also label readers." Cocopotamus adds Vitamin C to each batch, and only uses antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. The truffles are also less sweet, and Cocopotamus won't use corn syrup.

Cocopotamus ships nationwide from http://www.cocopotamus.com including gift, party, corporate and wedding chocolate. Cocopotamus is also sold in 25 states at retailers including Whole Foods Market in 4 states and Mother's Natural Kitchen in California.

iMunchie Cooks Up Early Success with Niche Social Networking for Foodies

WESTON, Fla., Dec. 30, 2011 -- In the summer of 2010, Jacob Baloul took a photo of a bowl of French onion soup he had just made and texted it to friends and family. Within seconds, he began receiving replies. Everyone, it seemed, thought that bowl of soup looked tasty, and most wanted to know how to make it. It set Baloul to thinking: What if he could share photos of his culinary adventures not just with a handful of people, but with thousands? The idea grew into iMunchie® (http://www.imunchie.com), the social network for foodies that has gone viral in the month since its launch.

Calling iMunchie "the Facebook for food, the LinkedIn for chefs, the Google for recipes, the Pandora for munchies and the online version of the hit show 'Top Chef' all in one," Baloul and his business partner, Bryan Pivik, have seen their membership explode right out of the gate. This is social networking with a niche focus.

"In the coming years we're going to see more isolated and specific social networks," Baloul explained. "Facebook has become the 'world of everything.' A lot of noise goes on over there because people do everything there -- but there is a large segment of people that want to get rid of the clutter. So we carved out the social network of food. Today it's iMunchie, tomorrow it may be a social network for doctors or sports enthusiasts."

Baloul and Pivik may be onto something. Foodies, professional and amateur chefs, and home cooks have all embraced iMunchie. Members post pictures of the foods they make and chat about them the way they would across a cafe table. They get ideas for dinner or for their next party. They admire each other's latest creations. They engage in friendly competitions (complete with cash prizes) to see who can make the best holiday meal or fruity drink. They revel in food and friendship.

Those friendly competitions are a big part of iMunchie's rapid growth. Any iMunchie member can create a tournament and offer up a prize of $1 or more. Other members can compete for the prize by posting photos of foods they've made that fit the tournament's theme. Current tournaments include "Most Decadent Dessert," with a $100 prize, and "New Year's 2012 Recipe Competition," with the largest iMunchie prize ever: $2,000.

iMunchie is gaining traction by creating its own space on the Internet. It's not a traditional recipe site with calorie counts and step-by-step instructions. Nor is it a place where people have to fend off requests for help with virtual fish tanks or fashion empires. iMunchie stands apart as a community of people making art with food and photos and sharing culinary inspiration. It's making the Internet feel a little smaller and more intimate at a time when many are hungering for just such a change.