I Love Reese's Day - May 18, 2027

I Love Reese's Day is observed every year on May 18 as a nationwide tribute to what has become the best-selling candy in the United States, a combination so simple and so satisfying that it has never needed updating. The pairing of smooth peanut butter enclosed in a shell of milk chocolate sounds straightforward on paper, but the result is something people have been reaching for compulsively since the late 1920s.

I Love Reese's Day History

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups did not emerge from a corporate test kitchen or a marketing brainstorm. They were born in the basement of a private home in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where a former dairy farm worker turned candy enthusiast was quietly experimenting with combinations that would eventually change the American confectionery landscape. Harry Burnett Reese had started his professional life in 1917 working on a farm owned by Milton Hershey before transitioning to a role at the Hershey candy factory during the 1920s, where his proximity to premium chocolate gave him both inspiration and access to a key ingredient. He began making candy at home during this period, using Hershey chocolate to coat the creations he developed in his spare time.

His homemade candy operation grew quickly enough that Reese made the decision to leave Hershey entirely and establish the H.B. Reese Candy Company in 1923, though he remained on friendly terms with his former employer throughout. I Love Reese's Day traces its roots to the candy that Reese launched in 1928, the peanut butter cup that would eventually overshadow everything else in his catalog and become his defining product. Originally sold for a single penny each, they were known informally as penny cups and were accessible to almost anyone. When Reese died in 1956, ownership of the company transferred to his six sons, who ran it for several years before selling the business to Hershey's Chocolate Company in 1963 for $23.5 million in stock, a transaction that has since appreciated to a value exceeding one billion dollars.

The Hershey Company formally created this observance in 2010, choosing May as the host month because of its placement between National Peanut Butter Lover's Day in March and Chocolate Day in July, making it a natural midpoint between the two flavors at the heart of the product. To build momentum behind the new occasion, Hershey sponsored an online petition that attracted signatures from 40,000 fans who made clear they felt the candy had earned its own dedicated celebration. That level of public enthusiasm was unusual enough to justify the recognition, and the event has been marked annually ever since. The fact that a candy sold for a penny in the 1920s became a billion-dollar acquisition and now commands its own national observance is one of the more satisfying arcs in American food business history.

Why I Love Reese's Day Matters

A Business Deal Worth Knowing

The sale of the H.B. Reese Candy Company to Hershey in 1963 is an interesting chapter in American business history, not least because the man who sold the chocolate used to make those cups was once an employee of the company buying them. The full-circle quality of that relationship, from farm hand to supplier to acquisition target, gives the candy a backstory that goes well beyond the wrapper. It is a better origin story than most brands can claim.

One Man's Brilliant Combination

The story of how a basement hobby became a billion-dollar product line is genuinely inspiring, and it hinges entirely on H.B. Reese's instinct that chocolate and peanut butter belonged together in a way nobody had quite captured yet. He was right in a way that the market confirmed almost immediately and has never stopped confirming since. Appreciating the candy means appreciating the person who figured that out.

America's Favorite Candy

Topping the best-seller list in American candy is no small feat given the competition, but Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have held that position with remarkable consistency for decades. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter taps into something almost universally appealing across age groups, making it one of the few treats that genuinely works for everyone at the table. That kind of broad, enduring popularity is worth pausing to appreciate.

How to Celebrate I Love Reese's Day

Spread It on Social Media

Sharing this occasion online with the hashtag #reesesday is a quick way to introduce people who may have no idea the day exists, and reactions from fellow fans tend to be immediately enthusiastic. A photo of your candy alongside a few words about the history behind it is all it takes to make the post worth someone's time. More people knowing about the day means more people enjoying it, which feels like a win for everyone involved.

Go Behind the Scenes

Watching videos or reading about how Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are actually manufactured at scale is more interesting than most people expect, and it adds a layer of appreciation to something you might otherwise take completely for granted. The process of depositing peanut butter filling into chocolate shells at industrial speed is both impressive and oddly satisfying to watch. Curiosity about how your favorite things are made tends to make you enjoy them more.

Unwrap One Right Now

The most direct possible way to honor this occasion is to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, ideally with someone else nearby so you have an excuse to share and an audience for your enthusiasm. There is something genuinely pleasurable about eating a beloved candy with the specific intention of appreciating it rather than just grabbing it automatically. Slow down enough to notice why it works as well as it does.

Facts About Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

A Penny Per Cup

When Reese's Peanut Butter Cups first went on sale in 1928, they were priced at one cent each, making them affordable to nearly anyone and helping to build the mass following that would sustain the brand for generations.

Six Sons Inherited the Business

When Harry Burnett Reese died in 1956, his candy company passed to his six sons, who continued to operate it for several years before agreeing to the landmark sale to Hershey in 1963.

A Billion-Dollar Appreciation

The $23.5 million in Hershey stock exchanged for the H.B. Reese Candy Company in 1963 has since grown to a value exceeding one billion dollars, making the deal one of the most profitable acquisitions in confectionery history.

May Sits in the Middle

The Hershey Company chose May for this observance specifically because it falls between National Peanut Butter Lover's Day in March and Chocolate Day in July, positioning it as a natural celebration of the two ingredients at the product's core.

Forty Thousand Petitioners

Before the observance was officially recognized, a Hershey-sponsored online petition collected signatures from 40,000 fans who actively campaigned for Reese's to receive its own dedicated annual celebration.

I Love Reese's Day Dates