Hans Dresel was raised in Germany and came to the United States in 1924 as a young man. He attempted to enter the U.S. Army during WWII, but his thick German accent and German military background set him back. Undeterred, he instead served locally in the US Coast Guard auxiliary on the Delaware River during the war.

By 1947, he was employed as a sales representative for Felton Chemical Company. He referred to himself as a “flavor peddler,” but sales was not his primary passion. Selling flavor took a backseat to PMCA, and he was involved with the association for almost 20 years.

As a member of PMCA’s Research Committee, Hans initiated the first production conference. While on the committee, Hans started discussions regarding a “production symposium” that would last three days and take place at Lehigh University. PMCA members could send their foremen or company representatives to hear lectures and speakers discuss various candy topics.

Understanding that candy making in the 1940s was more of an art than a science and acknowledging that candy makers kept old-fashioned secrets, Hans intended to bring industry folks together through sharing, learning and research. He convinced candy makers that they really had no mystery knowledge and that the answers to their common problems could be obtained through group study and discussion.