The Complete Guide to Reese's in the UK

Reese's is one of the biggest-selling confectionery brands in America, and it is not hard to see why. The combination of smooth milk chocolate and salty-sweet peanut butter has been irresistible since H.B. Reese first started selling Penny Cups from his home in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1928. In the UK, demand for imported Reese's has grown steadily — driven by social media, the growth of American candy retail, and a generation of snackers who grew up watching US TV and wondering what a Peanut Butter Cup actually tasted like.

But there is far more to Reese's than the classic cup. The range now spans dozens of products — cups in every size and chocolate variety, bars with caramel and pretzel layers, crispy thins, crunchy pieces, dipped pretzels, animal crackers, and collaboration formats with Chips Ahoy! and Oreo. This guide covers the complete Reese's range available in the UK, the story behind the brand, and what makes the US import different from the UK-made version.

A Brief History of Reese's

H.B. Reese was a dairy farmer from Pennsylvania who worked for Milton Hershey before deciding to start his own candy business. He experimented with various confections through the 1920s, but the peanut butter cups he introduced in 1928 became the standout product almost immediately. Originally called Penny Cups because they cost one cent each, they became so popular that Reese dropped every other product line to focus on them exclusively — a decision sealed by sugar rationing during the Second World War.

In 1963, the H.B. Reese Candy Company merged with Hershey's — turning a local Pennsylvania favourite into a national and eventually global phenomenon. Today Reese's generates over three billion dollars in annual revenue and accounts for nearly half of all seasonal confectionery sales in the US convenience channel. The brand's dominance in America is why UK customers seek out the imported version: it represents something that UK confectionery has never quite replicated — the specific chemistry of American chocolate and salty peanut butter. For more on how American and British chocolate differ, see our American sweets vs British sweets guide.

The Cups: Where It Started

The Peanut Butter Cup is the heart of the Reese's range and the product that everything else extends from. The concept is simple: a ridged milk chocolate shell filled with a thick layer of slightly salty peanut butter. The balance between sweet chocolate and savoury filling is what makes it compelling. The original two-pack remains the core product, but the cup format has evolved significantly over the years.

The Big Cup scales everything up — thicker peanut butter layer, more pronounced filling ratio, single cup format for impulse purchase. The White Cup replaces milk chocolate with white creme, making the peanut butter taste even more prominent. The Big Cup with Caramel adds a caramel layer alongside the peanut butter, and the Canadian King Size versions of the Big Cup and Big Cup Caramel double the portion. The Chocolate Lava Big Cup takes the same concept in a different direction — a flowing chocolate centre alongside the peanut butter filling.

The PB & J Strawberry Big Cup is one of the most distinctive recent additions — peanut butter and strawberry jelly in a cup format, capturing one of America's most iconic flavour combinations. The Big Cup Marshmallow adds a marshmallow layer for a s'mores-adjacent experience. The Oreo collaboration formats (standard and miniature) combine Reese's peanut butter filling with crushed Oreo cookie pieces — two of America's biggest confectionery brands in one product.

Miniatures — bite-sized individually wrapped cups — are available in standard, sugar-free, dark chocolate (Canadian), and white chocolate (Canadian) formats, plus a large case for retailers and pick-and-mix operations. The Minis Changemakers pack is a large-format sharing bag. Browse the full cup range on the Reese's wholesale page.

The Bars

Beyond the cups, Reese's makes a range of American chocolate bars that each bring a different texture and format to the peanut butter base. Nutrageous is loaded with whole roasted peanuts and covered in milk chocolate — crunchier and more savoury than the cups, and one of the most underrated products in the range. The UK-made Overload packs peanut butter, peanuts, caramel, and pretzel pieces into a milk chocolate shell, making it the most texturally complex bar in the lineup. Outrageous replaces the pretzels with Reese's Pieces candy for a sweeter, crunchier variation.

Sticks are crispy wafer layers with peanut butter coated in chocolate — lighter and crunchier than the other bars. Fast Break combines peanut butter, soft nougat, and caramel in milk chocolate for a chewier, more substantial bar. Take 5 — originally a standalone Hershey's product, now under the Reese's name — stacks five layers: pretzels, caramel, peanut butter, peanuts, and milk chocolate. If your customers like sweet-and-salty combinations, Take 5 is the bar to push.

The Giant Bar is the sharing and gifting format — a slab of milk chocolate filled with peanut butter, eye-catching on the shelf and priced as a premium item. The White Peanut Butter Bar extends the white chocolate variant into bar format. Crispy Crunchy King Size adds a peanut butter candy centre with crunchy peanuts and caramel for the most substantial bar in the range.

Thins

Reese's Thins are cup-shaped but around 40 per cent thinner than the original, with a higher chocolate-to-peanut-butter ratio. They come in sharing bags and feel more snackable than the standard cups. The White Peanut Butter Thins appeal to customers who find the standard White Cup too rich, and there are milk and dark chocolate versions too.

Pieces, Snacks and Crossovers

Reese's Pieces — small peanut-butter-filled candies in a crunchy sugar shell — became famous after appearing in E.T., where they were used to lure the alien in one of cinema's most celebrated product placement moments. The full story of how Reese's Pieces ended up in the film is covered in our E.T. and Reese's Pieces blog. They remain one of the most recognisable products in the range. The bright orange, yellow, and brown colours make them visually striking in any display. Available in peg bags and a large case, plus the Pieces Bark format and the Retro Theatre Box for impulse display.

The Dipped Pretzels coat crunchy pretzel pieces in Reese's peanut butter creme and milk chocolate — the salty-sweet-crunchy combination is one of the strongest cross-category lines in the range. Dipped Animal Crackers bring animal-shaped biscuits in the same peanut butter and chocolate coating. The Popped Snack Mix is a lighter format — popcorn, pretzels, and Reese's Pieces in a mixed snack bag. The Chips Ahoy! collaboration formats pair Reese's peanut butter cups with Chips Ahoy! cookies.

US Import vs UK-Made: What's the Difference?

Not all Reese's products in the UK are identical. Some are imported directly from the US or Canada; others are manufactured in the UK under licence. The distinction matters — as we covered in our American sweets vs British sweets guide, American and British recipes produce noticeably different results.

US and Canadian imports use Hershey's original American chocolate, which has a tangier, slightly more acidic flavour and a grainier peanut butter filling. UK-made products use a smoother, milder chocolate with a creamier peanut butter, partly because UK rules on what can be called milk chocolate differ from US ones. Many customers prefer one version over the other. See why American chocolate tastes different for the full explanation.

For Retailers: How to Stock Reese's

For retailers, Reese's is one of the easiest American brands to build a section around — the classic cup anchors it, and the Big Cups, bars, Thins and Pieces extend it. Miniatures and Pieces in large case formats support pick and mix, and the Giant Bar is the gifting piece. For the full display plan, see why Reese's is the best-selling American chocolate for UK retailers.

Reese's is one of the most searched-for American chocolate brands in the UK. For a broader look at the most popular American candy in the UK, see our guide to the most popular American sweets in the UK.

Browse the Full Reese's Range

Sweet and Glory stocks the Reese's range wholesale — cups in every format, bars, thins, pieces, dipped pretzels, snack mixes, and the full collaboration lineup. Browse the Reese's wholesale page for current availability, or explore the full American chocolate, American sweets, American drinks, and American snacks ranges. Create a free account to browse and order across more than 2,000 active lines.

No minimum order. Free first parcel on orders over £150 ex VAT (additional boxes £7.10 each). Free pallet delivery over £650 ex VAT. Dispatched from Manchester. Create a free account to browse and order.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are US and UK Reese's different? Yes — some Reese's products in the UK are US or Canadian imports, and some are made in the UK under licence. The imports use Hershey's original American chocolate, which is tangier with a grainier, saltier peanut butter; the UK-made versions use a smoother, milder chocolate. Part of the reason is that UK rules on milk chocolate differ from US ones, so the UK recipe is different. Many fans prefer one over the other and buy both.

Why does American Reese's taste different from British chocolate? It comes down to the chocolate. American Reese's uses Hershey's chocolate, which has a slightly tangy, acidic note from the way the milk is processed, and the peanut butter is saltier and grainier than UK palates expect. Our guide to why American chocolate tastes different explains the science behind that distinctive flavour.

What is the difference between Reese's Cups, Thins and Big Cups? The classic Cup is the original ridged milk chocolate shell with a thick peanut butter layer. The Big Cup scales that up with a thicker filling in a single-cup format. Thins are around 40% thinner than the original with a higher chocolate-to-peanut-butter ratio, sold in sharing bags for a lighter, more snackable format.

What are Reese's Pieces? Reese's Pieces are small peanut-butter-filled candies in a crunchy sugar shell — no chocolate. They became famous after featuring in E.T. and are visually striking in orange, yellow and brown. They're a different product from the chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and work well in sharing bags and theatre-box formats.

What is the biggest Reese's? The Big Cup is the largest single cup, and the King Size Big Cup packs two of them. For sheer size, the Reese's Giant Bar — a 209g slab of milk chocolate filled with peanut butter — is the biggest thing in the range, and the one customers buy as a gift.

Where can I buy Reese's wholesale in the UK? Sweet and Glory stocks the Reese's range wholesale — cups, bars, thins, Pieces, dipped pretzels and the collaboration formats — with no minimum order. Create a free account to browse and order. Related guides: Reese's best-selling American chocolate · Hershey's complete UK guide · E.T. and Reese's Pieces story · Why American chocolate tastes different · Most popular American sweets UK · Baby Ruth complete guide

Sources

The Hershey Company, Reese's brand history: thehersheycompany.com
Hershey Community Archives, H.B. Reese Candy Company: hersheyarchives.org
Wikipedia, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reese%27s_Peanut_Butter_Cups

Written by Sharon Wilson, Sweet and Glory. Sweet and Glory has imported American and world confectionery into the UK from Trafford Park, Manchester, since 2015.