Mounds

Mounds is an American coconut-and-chocolate candy-bar brand associated with The Hershey Company. Its core product combines sweetened shredded coconut with a dark-chocolate coating, distinguishing it from its sister brand Almond Joy, which pairs coconut with whole almonds and milk chocolate. Mounds is generally sold as a two-piece bar and is recognizable by red packaging and branding, while Almond Joy uses a blue visual identity. The product originated in 1920 when Connecticut candy maker Vincent Nitido created it as a single-piece confection that sold for five cents. In 1929, the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company acquired the line. Under Peter Paul, the bar was reformulated into the two-piece format that became its enduring presentation, although the price later increased as broader economic conditions changed. The brand was also produced in milk chocolate for a period, but its long-standing identity is centered on dark chocolate. Mounds became particularly important to Peter Paul during the Second World War. The company experienced shortages of sugar and coconut, with much of its coconut supply previously coming from the Philippines. To keep production operating, Peter Paul sourced coconut from the Caribbean and transported supplies using a group of small vessels later nicknamed the “Flea Fleet.” The company also concentrated resources on stronger-selling products, including Mounds, rather than attempting to maintain every product in its portfolio during wartime constraints. Mounds developed alongside a broader Peter Paul confectionery portfolio. Peter Paul introduced York Peppermint Patties in 1940 and Almond Joy in 1946, and Mounds and Almond Joy subsequently became closely linked in consumers’ minds and in advertising. Their shared package architecture and related logo treatment made them a paired brand family, with the red Mounds wrapper signaling the no-nut dark-chocolate option and the blue Almond Joy wrapper signaling the almond-topped alternative. Corporate ownership changed twice in the late twentieth century. Cadbury and Peter Paul merged in 1978, and The Hershey Company acquired the United States operations of the combined business in 1988. Mounds therefore became part of Hershey’s U.S. confectionery portfolio while retaining its established name, recipe concept, and visual relationship with Almond Joy. For much of its history, Mounds and related Peter Paul products were manufactured in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Peter Paul built a larger Naugatuck facility in 1950, and Hershey continued using the plant after its acquisition. In 2007, manufacturing moved to a newer facility in Stuarts Draft, Virginia. The brand has also supported limited product experimentation, including the short-lived Mounds Island Orange bar introduced in 2006, which used orange-flavored and orange-colored coconut. Its enduring market positioning remains a familiar, mass-market coconut confection rather than a premium or specialty chocolate product.

Mounds was created in 1920 by Vincent Nitido, a candy maker from West Haven, Connecticut. The original product was a single coconut confection sold for five cents. In 1929, Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company purchased the product line and changed the presentation to a two-piece bar while initially preserving the five-cent price. The price later rose to ten cents after the Second World War. Peter Paul also produced Mounds in milk chocolate at one stage, although the brand became most strongly associated with shredded, sweetened coconut covered in dark chocolate. The Second World War created serious supply problems for Peter Paul. Sugar was scarce, and coconut shipments from the Philippines were disrupted by the war. To obtain replacement supplies, the company sourced coconut from the Caribbean and used seven small vessels to transport it to the United States. These boats became known as the “Flea Fleet.” Their small size helped them move through Caribbean waters while carrying enough raw material to support production. Peter Paul responded to the shortages by discontinuing some weaker-selling brands and focusing production on products such as Mounds rather than reducing the quality of its principal confections. Mounds developed as part of Peter Paul’s expanding candy business. York Peppermint Patties were added in 1940, followed by Almond Joy in 1946. Almond Joy became the closest companion product to Mounds: both used a coconut center and related branding, but Almond Joy added whole almonds and used milk chocolate, while Mounds omitted nuts and used dark chocolate. The products were frequently presented together in advertising and retail merchandising. Peter Paul built a larger manufacturing plant in Naugatuck, Connecticut, in 1950. Mounds, Almond Joy, and other Peter Paul products were made there from the early decades of the brand’s history through 2007. Corporate ownership shifted when Cadbury and Peter Paul merged in 1978. A decade later, in 1988, Hershey Foods acquired the United States operations of the business. Hershey retained production of the brands at the Naugatuck facility for many years. In 2007, manufacturing was transferred to a more modern Hershey facility in Stuarts Draft, Virginia. The move ended the long production association between Mounds and Naugatuck; at the time, the Naugatuck plant was described as a 250,000-square-foot facility operating below full capacity. Mounds also received occasional line extensions, including the limited-edition Mounds Island Orange bar in 2006, which featured orange-colored and orange-flavored coconut but was not sustained as a permanent offering. The brand’s advertising history includes the slogan “Indescribably Delicious,” developed through a contest. Leon Weiss submitted the winning phrase and received a ten-dollar prize. Peter Paul later sought trademark protection for the slogan, citing use beginning in the 1950s. Mounds and Almond Joy were also linked by a 1970s advertising jingle built around the contrast between feeling like a nut and not feeling like one: Almond Joy represented the nut-containing option, while Mounds represented the nut-free alternative. Today, Mounds remains an active Hershey brand whose identity depends on the combination of coconut, dark chocolate, red packaging, and its long-standing relationship with Almond Joy.

• 2007

  Production moves to Virginia

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Manufacturing of Mounds and related Peter Paul products moves from Naugatuck to Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

• 2006

  Mounds Island Orange launches

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Mounds Island Orange is introduced as a limited-edition bar with orange-flavored coconut.

• 1988

  Hershey acquires the U.S. business

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Hershey Foods purchases the United States operations containing Mounds and Almond Joy.

• 1978

  Cadbury and Peter Paul merge

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Cadbury and Peter Paul combine their businesses, changing the corporate structure behind Mounds.

• 1950

  Peter Paul expands the Naugatuck plant

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Peter Paul builds a larger manufacturing facility in Naugatuck, Connecticut, for its confectionery products.

• 1946

  Almond Joy is introduced

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Peter Paul introduces Almond Joy, creating the sister product that is later advertised alongside Mounds.

• 1940

  York Peppermint Patties join the Peter Paul portfolio

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Peter Paul adds York Peppermint Patties to the confectionery portfolio that also includes Mounds.

• 1929

  Peter Paul acquires the product line

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company purchases Mounds and changes it to a two-piece format.

• 1920

  Mounds is created in Connecticut

  [1]Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org

  Vincent Nitido creates the original Mounds confection as a single piece sold for five cents.

Mass-market American confectionery centered on sweetened coconut and dark chocolate, positioned as the no-nut counterpart to Almond Joy.

• Chocolate-coated coconut confection · 1920

  Mounds candy bar

  The flagship Mounds product consists of sweetened shredded coconut enclosed in a chocolate coating, traditionally dark chocolate. It is commonly sold as a two-piece bar and is identified by red packaging. The product’s principal distinction within the Peter Paul and Hershey portfolios is the absence of nuts and the use of dark chocolate, contrasting with Almond Joy’s almonds and milk-chocolate coating.

• Limited-edition candy bar · 2006

  Mounds Island Orange

  Mounds Island Orange was a short-lived variation introduced in 2006. It modified the standard coconut center with orange coloring and orange flavoring. The product was a limited experiment rather than a permanent expansion of the core Mounds range.

• Sister coconut-and-chocolate candy bar · 1946

  Almond Joy

  Almond Joy is a related Peter Paul and Hershey product rather than a Mounds variant. It uses a coconut center topped with whole almonds and covered in milk chocolate. It shares related packaging and logo conventions with Mounds, but its blue color scheme and nut-containing recipe distinguish it from the red-packaged, dark-chocolate Mounds bar.

• 1970Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

  United States

  A 1970s campaign advertised Mounds and Almond Joy together by contrasting the two products. The campaign framed Almond Joy as the choice for consumers who wanted nuts and Mounds as the choice for those who did not.

  Outcome. The campaign reinforced the complementary positioning and shared identity of the two brands.

  Source
• 1956Indescribably Delicious

  United States

  Mounds adopted the slogan “Indescribably Delicious” after a contest seeking a concise phrase to promote the candy. Leon Weiss supplied the winning entry and received a ten-dollar prize. The slogan became part of the brand’s advertising and wrapper identity.

  Outcome. The slogan became a durable part of Mounds brand communication.

  Source

• 2007

  Manufacturing is consolidated in VirginiaStrategy

  Background

  Mounds had been manufactured at the Naugatuck, Connecticut, Peter Paul facility for decades, but the plant was operating below full capacity.

  Action taken

  Hershey transferred Mounds and related confectionery manufacturing to a newer facility in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

  Aftermath

  The move ended production at the historic Naugatuck plant while keeping the brand in Hershey’s manufacturing network.

  Source

• 1988

  Hershey brings Mounds into its U.S. portfolioM&A

  Background

  Mounds was part of the Peter Paul business that had merged with Cadbury in 1978.

  Action taken

  Hershey Foods acquired the combined company’s United States operations.

  Aftermath

  Mounds continued as a Hershey-managed brand, alongside Almond Joy and other former Peter Paul products.

  Source

• 1942

  Peter Paul secures Caribbean coconut supplies during wartimeStrategy

  Background

  World War II disrupted Peter Paul’s sugar and coconut supplies, including coconut previously shipped from the Philippines.

  Action taken

  Peter Paul sourced coconut from the Caribbean, transported supplies with its small “Flea Fleet,” and concentrated production on stronger-selling brands such as Mounds.

  Aftermath

  The company kept Mounds production operating without abandoning its stated product quality during the supply crisis.

  Source

• 1929

  Peter Paul changes the bar format after acquisitionStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring the Mounds line, Peter Paul inherited a single-piece confection originally sold for five cents.

  Action taken

  The company changed the product to a two-piece format while initially maintaining the five-cent price.

  Aftermath

  The two-piece presentation became the enduring format associated with Mounds.

  Source

1. 1Mounds (candy bar)en.wikipedia.org