ONE launches Reese’s protein bar with 18 grams of protein

ONE is pushing protein bars closer to the candy aisle with a new Reese’s partnership built around indulgence first and macros second. The ONE x Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Flavored Layered Protein Bar is designed to “Hit Like Reese’s,” with layered chocolate and peanut butter flavor, 18 grams of protein and just 2 grams of sugar. In a category long obsessed with simple fuel, the pitch is clear: this bar is meant to feel like a reward.

That strategy depends as much on texture and familiarity as on nutrition. The layered format signals a more dessert-like eating experience, while the Reese’s name gives ONE instant recognition from one of the most powerful candy brands in the market. Hershey said the bar was introduced as part of a broader ONE Hershey approach that brings together sweet, salty and protein portfolios, a model the company said it launched as a unified U.S. commercial operating structure on March 16, 2026. At Hershey’s booth, visitors to the National Confectioners Association’s 2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo in Las Vegas sampled the product among other new items.

The bar is sold in a 2.12-ounce size, including 4-count and 12-count boxes, and ONE’s product page describes it as delivering “rich layers of flavor” with 18 grams of protein and 2 grams of sugar. The brand says it is suited “for mornings, workouts, or whenever you need a protein boost,” a line that shows how far protein snacks have moved from a strictly athletic use case. Hershey has also been using the ONE name to stretch candy brands into protein more broadly, with Hershey’s Double Chocolate and Hershey’s Cookies ’N’ Creme protein bars already in market.

This is not ONE’s first Reese’s protein move. On June 20, 2024, the company launched a Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers protein bar with 18 grams of protein and 3 grams of sugar, an earlier test of how far the Reese’s halo could travel in the better-for-you aisle. The new layered version sharpens that idea with a more premium format and slightly leaner sugar profile. Mintel’s 2026 U.S. snack, nutrition and performance bars report points to a category shaped by launch activity, trial and consumer demand for protein and lower sugar, which helps explain why candy-meets-protein hybrids are suddenly everywhere. The bigger story is less about one bar than about where the category is going: toward familiar flavors, stronger texture and permissible indulgence that can reach far beyond fitness shoppers.