In a move that could seem strange to many, the iconic 122-year-old candy giant Hershey Co. whose annual revenue swelled to more than $7 billion selling chocolate with peanut butter, chocolate with almonds, and just plain chocolate, is now putting a lot of its fortunes at stake on a snack that’s not chocolate.

Hershey saw sales fall in 2015 for first time in more than a decade with Americans cutting back on sweets in favor of Greek yogurt and protein bars and sugar widely branded a health boogeyman. The company is betting on the growing appetite for dried meat to help turn the tide.

“If it says protein on it, consumers will buy it. This is something Hershey has to do,” said Carl Jorgensen, a director of wellness strategy at Daymon Worldwide, a retail-marketing firm in Stamford, Connecticut.

Rather than sitting down for three square meals, Americans, especially millennials, are snacking more than ever, noshing throughout the day. Hershey wants to ride that trend.

Snack bars composing of acai berries, trail mixes that feature small pieces of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and jalapeno almonds and pumpkin seeds coated in protein are being rolled out by the company. With at least 25 percent of $2 billion coming from jerky and other meat products, the company has set a target of earning revenues of $2 billion from snacks.

After the acquisition of Krave Pure Foods in early 2015, a maker of premium beef jerky with about $35 million in sales, it was evident that Hershey was signaling its shift away from chocolate.

Hershey was able to gain access to Whole Foods customers and the company was put in the fast-growing meat-snack category by Krave – based in California’s wine country. Hershey has said Krave could be a $500 million brand.

As jerky has shed its image as a salty, overprocessed gas-station staple and been reimagined as a convenient nibble that’s low in carbohydrates and high in protein, sales of meat snacks have ballooned in recent years. Hershey plans to launch a line of meat bars later this year and it has more than doubled Krave sales.

“With consumers having less traditional meals and snacking more, they’re looking for sources of protein. These things ebb and flow, but protein is here to stay,” said Michele Buck, Hershey’s president for North America.

Hershey’s snacking push comes as chocolate consumption in the U.S. has flattened. According to data from IRI, a Chicago-based market-research firm, growth has come from higher prices, not people eating more chocolate.

According to Jared Koerten, a Chicago-based analyst at Euromonitor International, compared to mainstream items like Kisses or Reese’s Pieces, consumers have moved to fancier dark chocolate products, which are perceived as healthier and with the trend of decline in sugar consumption.  However Koerten said that the snaks bar market where Hershey has expanded into in addition to acquiring brands such as Brookside to boost its premium chocolate offerings, is crowded.

“Hershey faces an uphill battle to edge in,” he said.

(Adapted from Bloomberg)