Supplier Diversity

Hershey’s Supplier Diversity Program is designed to promote competition, create jobs and enhance innovation throughout our supply chains. Through this program, we develop relationships with suppliers that meet our high standards and who are qualified small businesses, businesses located in historically underutilized business zones (HUBZone), or businesses owned by disadvantaged populations. Supporting these businesses not only stimulates local economies, but small businesses often bring greater agility in responding to fast-moving market changes and needs.

We are looking for vendors to support product and service needs across our enterprise and brand portfolio, including but not limited to:

• Ingredients - cocoa, sugar, dairy, nuts, corn sweeteners and specialty ingredients like sugar alcohol, fats and oils, colors and flavors and flour
• Packaging - paper (corrugate cases and multicolor merchandising units and folding carton), flexible film (labels, bags), rigid plastics (plastic bottles/cans) and aluminum foil
• Co-manufacturing and co-packing
• Indirect materials and services - sales, marketing and creative agencies, transportation and logistics, capital equipment, information services and technology, facilities services (including construction), financial services, outside services, MRO, utilities, HR services, consulting, real estate and legal

Businesses that qualify for this program include:

• Small businesses are independent businesses having fewer than 500 employees, based on Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards
• Businesses located in a historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) include small businesses with:
  • at least 51% owned and controlled by US Citizens, Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, an Alaska Native Corporation, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian Tribe
  • its principal office located in HUBZone
  • at 35% of its employees living in HUBZone
• Businesses that are 51% or more owned, managed and controlled by members of minority groups and that is certified by a certification body or has self-declared as a diverse business. Racial and ethnic diversity is defined differently by country. Refer to the NMSDC and CAMSC websites for a detailed definition of who we consider to qualify as a POC business enterprise in the United States and Canada.

Our Supplier Diversity Program includes both Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. Tier 1 suppliers are suppliers we pay directly. Tier 2 suppliers are paid by our Tier 1 suppliers. If you are a Tier 1 supplier and are not a qualifying business, we expect you to drive Tier 2 spending with qualifying suppliers and may ask you to provide Hershey with a quarterly report.

Please visit our supplier portal to register to conduct business with Hershey.

Strategic partnerships

Hershey supports various third-party organizations that certify and support the growth and development of suppliers who qualify for our program.

• National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA)
• Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
• WEConnect International
• DisabilityIn
• National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC)
  
• National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)