Mars Inc.

Mars, Incorporated(doing business asMars Inc.) is an Americanmultinationalmanufacturer ofconfectionery,pet food, and other food products and a provider ofanimal careservices founded in 1911, headquartered inMcLean, Virginia,and is entirely owned by theMars family.The company hadUS$45billionin annualsalesin 2022;that yearForbesranked the company as the fourth-largestprivately held companyin the United States.
Mars operates in four subsidiaries around the world:Mars Wrigley Confectionery(headquartered inChicago, Illinois, with U.S. headquarters inHackettstownandNewark, New Jersey),Petcare (Zaventem, Belgium;Poncitlán, Jalisco, Mexico;Querétaro, Mexico), Food (Rancho Dominguez, California), and MARS Edge (Germantown, Maryland), the company's life sciences division.
Franklin Clarence Mars, whose mother taught him to hand dip candy, sold candy by age 19.He started the Mars Candy Factory on June 23, 1911 with Ethel V. Mars, his second wife, inTacoma, Washington.This factory produced and sold fresh candywholesale,but ultimately the venture failedbecause there was a better established business,Brown & Haley, also operating in Tacoma.By 1920, Mars had returned to his home state,Minnesota, where the earliest incarnation of the present day Mars company was founded that year as Mar-O-Bar Co., inMinneapolisand later incorporated there as Mars, Incorporated.
Forrest Mars Sr., son of Frank and his first wife, Ethel G. Mars,was inspired by a popular type of milkshakein 1923, to introduce the Milky Way bar, advertised as a "chocolate malted milk in a candy bar",which became the best-selling candy bar.In 1929, Frank moved the company to Chicago and started full production in a plant which still exists today.In 1930, Frank Mars created theSnickersbar and first sold it in US markets.In 1932, Mars introduced the 3 Musketeers bar. The same year, Forrest started Mars Limited in the United Kingdom and launched theMars bar.
Mars moved its headquarters to McLean, Virginia, in 1984. It is still a family business owned by theMars family. The company is famous for its secrecy. A 1993Washington Post Magazinearticle was a rare raising of the veil, as the reporter was able to see the "M"s being applied to the M&M's, something that "no outsider had ever before been invited to observe".In 1999, for example, the company did not acknowledge that Forrest Mars Sr. had died or that he had worked for the company.
In 2001, Mars purchased the Lucas candy company. In 2004, Lucas was discontinued when high amounts of lead were found inside of their candies.
Mars's purchase ofDoane PetcareCompany in June 2007 significantly increased Mars's position in the U.S. dry pet food category. In addition to these businesses, Mars also operates a chain of premium chocolate shops calledEthel M Chocolates. These shops are an outgrowth of the Ethel M premium chocolate business that Forrest Mars started in Las Vegas in 1980 when he became bored with retirement.
In 2008, Mars and theBelGroup conducted a research study that resurrected the famous Mars slogan "Work, Rest & Play". Packaged and led the global launch of the Mars Refuel Sports drink. Initiated and implemented sponsorship program "The Mars Refuel Drink Fund".
On April 28, 2008, Mars, Incorporated, together withBerkshire Hathaway Incorporated, announced the buyout ofWm. Wrigley Jr. Company, the world's largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion in an all-cash deal. The two companies together generated sales of over $30 billion in 2008.
The company published its Principles in Action communication in September 2011. This communication outlines the history of Mars, its legacy as a business committed to its Five Principles, and the company's goal of putting its Principles into action to make a difference to people and the planet through performance. Encompassing themes of Health and Nutrition, Supply Chain, Operations, Products, and Working at Mars, the Principles in Action communication outlines Mars, Incorporated's targets, progress, and ongoing challenges. It also describes its businesses, including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience.
The company spent more than $1.8 million on lobbying during 2008, almost all of it atPatton Boggs, where it has long been one of the largest lobbying clients. Mars also spent $10,000 atSkadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. In 2009, Mars also hiredErnst & Youngto lobby on corporate and international tax issues, including issues related to tax changes proposed by theObama administration. The company spent another $1,655,000 that year.
In 2016, Mars Inc. announced the merger of its chocolate and Wrigley segments to form a new subsidiary, called Mars Wrigley Confectionery.
In 2017, the company's confectionery segment announced a return to its roots, and opened a new office inNewark, New Jersey.
In May 2020, Mars filed a lawsuit againstJAB Holdingover claims that Jacek Szarzynski, a former JAB Holding executive stole various confidential documents and passed them to the owner ofPret A MangerandPanera Bread. According to the lawsuit, over 6,000 Mars internal documents, including detailed financial results, strategic planning documents, and potential acquisition targets, were illegally downloaded.
In the United States, the company has22 manufacturing facilities inHackettstown, New Jersey;Albany, Georgia;Burr Ridge, Illinois;Minneapolis, Minnesota;Chicago, Illinois; andMattoon, Illinois;Cleveland, Tennessee;Chattanooga, Tennessee;Columbia, South Carolina;Columbus, Ohio;Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania;Greenville, Mississippi;GreenvilleandWaco, Texas;HendersonandReno, Nevada;Fort Smith, Arkansas;Joplin, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri;Miami, Oklahoma; andGalena, Kansas. Their newest chocolate producing facility, the first in 23 years, was established in 2014 at a cost of $270 million and is situated inTopeka, Kansas.Their Canadian facilities are located inBoltonandNewmarket, Ontario.
In November 2020, Mars acquired full ownership of snack food companyKind North Americafor $5 billion.Two years later in December 2022, it was announced Mars had acquired the Utah headquartered whole-fruit snacking brand, Trü Frü.A further acquisition was made in November 2023 when Mars purchased theHotel Chocolatfor £534 million.
On August 14, 2024, Mars Inc. announced its acquisition ofKellanovafor $83.50 per share in cash, for a total consideration of $35.9 billion, including assumed net leverage. According to the companies, this is the largest acquisition of 2024 to date, while analysts described it as the largest CPG transaction since the merger betweenKraftandH.J. Heinzin 2015.
The agreement has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of Kellanova. The transaction is subject to Kellanova shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close within the first half of 2025. The transaction agreement permits Kellanova to declare and pay quarterly dividends that are consistent with historical practice prior to the closing of the transaction.
In 1932, Forrest Mars Sr. opened what was then Mars (Europe) headquarters, and remains Mars (UK) headquarters in Slough,Berkshireon the then-newSlough Trading Estate, after a disagreement with his father,Franklin Clarence Mars. In this factory, he produced the firstMars bar, based on the AmericanMilky Way.The company branch is currently known asMars Food UK Limitedin the United Kingdom. Mars brands manufactured for the United Kingdom market but not for the United States includeTunes.
Many brands first created and sold in the United Kingdom were later introduced in the United States, includingStarburst(original UK brand name Opal Fruits) andSkittles. The brandsTwixandTopicwere UK based.
Milky Wayin Europe and worldwide is known as the3 Musketeersin America. Similarly, theSnickersbar was previously marketed inIrelandand theUnited Kingdomas Marathon until 1990; in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, also until 1990;Galaxyin the Middle East is known asDovein America and worldwide. Chocolate and peanutM&M'swere introduced in 1980s.
Mars Drinks UK, the beverages division of Mars Limited, operates fromSloughinBerkshireand specializes in office vending machines. Mars Drinks UK comprises the FLAVIA and KLIX brands which offer branded drinks such as theStarburst Orange Drink, theMaltesers Hot Chocolateand theGalaxydrinks.
Mars Drinks also produces coffee and the equipment used to make it. In 1982 FLAVIA was created out of the high demand for coffee in the United Kingdom. Initially marketed asDimension 3until 1989, FLAVIA was introduced in France and Germany in 1986 and Japan in 1992 then brought to the United States in 1996 and to Canada in 1997. Other products such as cappuccino were introduced in 2002 and tea in 2004.
In 2018, the Drinks division was sold toLavazza.
Forrest Mars started the pet food industry inEurope, and his Mars Candy Company boughtKal Kan. Forrest Mars changed the name of Kal Kan dog food to Pedigree, and Kal Kan cat food toWhiskas. As of 1991, Mars controlled 60 percent of the pet food market, both in volume and value. Whiskas was the number one brand. As of 1994, Mars was the leading pet food company worldwide with $4 billion in sales.
In February 2003, Mars acquired Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(API, incorporated in 1964) and in 2007 it was renamed Mars Fishcare, Inc. The company manufactures and supplies homeaquariumandpondproducts.Mars Fishcare brands include:Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (API),RENA,AQUARIAN,andPondCare.
The company introduced a genetic test for dogs using cheek swabs to identify breed breakdown, trait tests and health risks in 2007 known as Wisdom Panel.In 2018, Mars Petcare acquired Genoscoper Laboratories, a Finnish animal molecular diagnostics company, "to form the basis for future practical applications in enabling precision healthcare for pets" under itsgenetic testingunit, Wisdom Health.Wisdom Panel DNA testing expanded to include cats in mid 2021.
InAustralia, the division operates three sites that are located inWodonga, Victoria(established in 1967 for manufacture of wet pet food);Bathurst, New South Wales(established in the 1980s for manufacture of dry pet food); andBrisbane, Queensland(for manufacture of birdcare products).
Mars Petcare manufactures the 'Trill' birdseed range.
In 2007, Mars, Incorporated purchased a significant stake in theBanfield Pet Hospitalchain.
In October 2015,BluePearl Veterinary Partnerswas acquired by Mars Petcare division. This acquisition resulted in Mars Petcare becoming the largest pet nutrition and veterinary care provider in the world.
In January 2017, Mars Veterinary Health North America announced the US$7.7 billion acquisition of Los Angeles-based animal hospital chainVCA Inc.
In June 2018, Mars Veterinary Health International and Diagnostics acquired the Linnaeus Group consolidating its position as a leading veterinary provider in the United Kingdom.
In 1963, a large factory was opened inVeghelin theNetherlands. This factory has currently the biggest production volume of Mars factories and is one of the biggest chocolate factories in the world.Most confectionery products for Europe were produced in Slough and Veghel. The two factories in Slough were located on Liverpool Road and Dundee Road; the one on Liverpool Road closed in 2007, with Twix production moving to the Netherlands and Starburst production moving to theCzech Republic.
The major production plant for Mars confectionery products in Australia is inBallarat, Victoria.
There is one factory outside ofHershey, Pennsylvania, located inElizabethtown, Pennsylvania.The factory inChicago, Illinois, has its own commuter rail station, simply namedMars. The company announced in early 2022 that it intends to close the Chicago factory in 2024.The building will remain in the hands of Chicago's Galewood neighborhood residents.
Many Mars products are household, famous-name brands. Some of these product lines are manufactured by Mars; others are manufactured by The Wrigley Company.
Mars Veterinary Health North America
Mars Veterinary Health International
The company was named byFortunemagazine as one of the top 100 companies to work for in 2013, citing the example that employees of the pet food division can take their dogs to work.
The company has made donations toElizabethtown College, which includes a room sponsored by them and a weekly executive lecture series.
Throughout 2012, Mars contributed $376,650 to a $46 million political campaign known as "The Coalition Against The Costly Food Labeling Proposition, sponsored by Farmers and Food Producers".This organization was set up to oppose "Proposition 37", demanding mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients.
In February 2016, Mars stated that it would no longer be using artificialcolorsin any of its candy products.The company announced that more than 50 of its products would be affected in commitment effort to align with the changing preferences of consumers. The company is among more than 12 others which have recently pledged to remove artificial colors from its products.
Given the fact that the company will be replacing the artificial dyes in its products, Mars has also said that consumers should prepare themselves for the transition process in terms of special packaging and colors being used to indicate that the changes have taken place. It has been said that the company is not likely to stop using coloring entirely, but that the use of artificial coloring will be going away.
From May 1, 2007, many Mars products made in the UK became unsuitable forvegetarians. The company announced that it would be usingwheymade with animalrennet(material from a calf's stomach lining, and a byproduct ofveal), instead of using rennet made by microorganisms, in products including Mars, Twix, Snickers, Maltesers, Bounty,Minstrelsand Milky Way.The response from many consumers, particularly theVegetarian Society's request for UK vegetarians to register their protests with Mars, generated extensive press and caused the company to abandon the plans shortly thereafter.Mars switched to all-vegetarian sources in the UK.
In 2007, Mars came under criticism fromPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA) for funding laboratory experiments on mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits, which the group alleges are inhumane and in violation of the company's own policies prohibiting experiments on animals.
One study was conducted in collaboration with theSalk Instituteregardingangiogenesisandspatial memory, in which mice were given anad-libdiet that includedepicatechin, plant-derived flavonoid. One of the experiments involved groups of control and experimental animals, the latter of which were housed individually in cages that included a running wheel for optional exercise for two hours a day. The former, also housed individually, did not have access to a running wheel. Another experiment was the classical spatial memory assay, theMorris water maze, in which experimenters had mice swim in water mixed with white paint that concealed the water depth. The study, which Mars contends was legally required in order for the company to make flavonoid-related health claims, showed that the inclusion of epicatechin in the diet improved memory and angiogenesis, more so if coupled with exercise.
Mars has been criticized for buying cocoa beans from West African farmers who reportedly use unpaid or poorly paid child laborers. In 2009, Mars announced that the company would work towards only purchasing cocoa from suppliers who meet environmental, labor, and production standards.TransFair USA, an organization which certifies products as Fair Trade, applauded the move and expressed hope that it would include a provision for fair wages for laborers and farmers.In 2010, Mars Inc. received the U.S. Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence.In April 2010, Mars launched the MyCocoaPaper initiative, which claims to provide economic opportunities to women and families inIndonesiaby making paper products out of cocoa bark and recycled office paper.
In 2011, Mars andFairtrade Internationalannounced an agreement to introduce the first Fairtrade labeled Mars product and to work together to enable farmers to have sustainable livelihoods and substantially increased productivity. The first Mars product to carry the Fairtrade mark was Maltesers, which appeared in stores in 2012 in the UK and Ireland.
In 2019, Mars announced that they could not guarantee that their chocolate products were free from child slave labor, as they could trace only 24% of their purchasing back to the farm level (see below). TheWashington Postnoted that the commitment taken in 2001 to eradicate such practices within 4 years had not been kept, neither at the due deadline of 2005, nor within the revised deadlines of 2008 and 2010, and that the result was not likely to be achieved for 2020 either.
In 2021, Mars was named in a class action lawsuit filed by eight former child slaves fromMaliwho alleged that the company aided and abetted their enslavement on cocoa plantations inIvory Coast. The suit accused Mars (along withNestlé,Cargill,Barry Callebaut,Olam International,the Hershey Company, andMondelez International) of knowingly engaging in forced labor, and the plaintiffs sought damages for unjust enrichment, negligent supervision, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.In June 2021, theUnited States Supreme Courtdismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that as the abuse had happened outside the United States, the group did not have standing to file such a lawsuit.
Mars scored a yellow rating, the second highest of four possible scores, "Starting to implement good policies", on the 2022 Chocolate Scorecard, which rates all the large chocolate companies on their record in eliminating child labour, providing a living income to cocoa farmers and traceability/transparency.In its own scorecard on human rights and environmental credentials, Mars states that it has traced the source of their cocoa to 132,000 of the farms that supply their cocoa.
A CBS television news investigation in 2023 found children as young as five years old working in the Ghana supply chain of Mars to harvest cocoa for brands such as Snickers and M&Ms.
In September 2017, an investigationconducted by NGO Mighty Earth found that a large amount of the cocoa used in chocolate produced by Mars and other major chocolate companies was grown illegally innational parksand other protected areas inIvory CoastandGhana.The countries are the world's two largest cocoa producers.
The report documents show, in several national parks and other protected areas, 90% or more of the land mass has been converted to cocoa.Less than four percent of Ivory Coast remains densely forested, and the chocolate companies' laissez-faire approach to sourcing has driven extensivedeforestationin Ghana as well.In Ivory Coast, deforestation has pushed chimpanzees into just a few small pockets, and reduced the country's elephant population from several hundred thousand to about 200–400.
On the 2022 Chocolate Scorecard, Mars scored the second highest of four possible scores for "Deforestation and Climate" and "Agroforestry", "starting to implement good policies". Mars scored a lower rating (third of the four) for "Agrochemical Management", "needs more work on policy and implementation".
On September 1, 2023, Ukraine'sNational Agency on Corruption Prevention(NACP) has included two leading food corporations,PepsiCoand Mars, on the list ofinternational sponsors of the war. Despite the declaration of reduction of their business, cessation of advertising activities, and production of their products, they continue to work in the Russian Federation.