 In the 1920s , the company was merged with the Holder family 's Bethlehem @-@ based Meyer Dairy Company , retaining the Hershey name . In 1926 , with demand for the ice cream exceeding the capacity of the farmhouse , the newly merged company constructed its first ice cream plant in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania . During the Great Depression , the company became the first ice cream maker to offer its products in pre @-@ packaged pints . It began creating new flavors of ice cream which it then sold to other ice cream makers . Following World War II , the company continued to answer the call for greater convenience in consumer foods and expanded its offerings to include single @-@ serve , easy to eat items such as popsicles and ice cream sandwiches . In the 1960s , the Holder family assumed full ownership of the company . 
